Steal The Dead
by FHT3rdandCo
Summary: There was a scream and blood splattered on the wall. Shock replaced by horror was clearly displayed on the faces of all present. "Seventy-four hours, Kuroba." ..:KaitoxAoko:..
1. Beginning: Death

_((A/N: Yeeha! XD lol. First _dramatic_ Detective Conan fic! :3 Er… more like Magic Kaito actually… but there is no Magic Kaito section… -.-' lol, doesn't matter anyhow._

_Soooo, as anyone who as read my other _dramatic_ fics, you should know that this, being the prologue, is going to be possibly the most confusing chapter._

_Don't even _try_ to make sense of it, my head spins when I do XD lol, it does have _some_ reason but that really won't make any sense until future chappy's :3_

_I put a lot of effort into this so I hope you guys like it—!_

_DISCLAIMER: And ZOMG! I actually remembered to put in a disclaimer! :3 That's a first… I don't own squat!_

_Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Beginning: Death_

There was a scream and blood splattered on the wall. Shock replaced by horror was clearly displayed on the faces of all present. Yells of anguish, shock, and urgency rang through the night. Voices, familiar voices, cried out and she was falling…

Blood, there was so much blood…

There was something about the entire situation that made her wonder…

'_Where's Kaito…?_'

--

_This _is_ a tragedy_.

And you will all die.

--

Vaguely, she could hear an ambulance… or were they just cop cars?

--

This _is_ a tragedy.

_No one_ is invincible and there is _no way_ to escape death.

--

It was painful she realized, once she could breathe again, was she still falling over? Had someone caught her?

--

"…_but_… there is _always_ a back door."

--

Someone was screaming for her not to give up, she recognized the voice and smell… a humorless smile managed to spread on her face.

--

"If you summon the dead to life, you will commit _necromancy_, a completely unforgivable sin that will cost you something far worst then your life… far worse then _their_ life. There is no way to _summon_ the dead without signing _both_ of you up for things far beyond your imagination…"

--

There was still that voice, she couldn't tell what it was saying anymore, the pain was numbing every other sense she had.

--

"…if you are willing experience _True Pain_, trudge through _Hell_, destroy _Dream_, and visit _Horror_… there _may_ be a way… for you to play the messenger yourself and…"

--

She could hear her father, she knew someone was jostling her and she could feel hands… so someone had caught her? She tried to trace where she'd smelled this before but she couldn't…

--

"_True Pain_, often just '_Pain_' for short, is an embodiment if you will of something entirely indescribable…"

--

It took her awhile to realize she was dying; she felt undeniable panic grip her and attempted to pry her eyes open. She wasn't one to give up and lie down… but she was tired and fading fast…

--

"First you must find seven of the Gates of Hell and retrieve from them a piece of _Pain_. If you manage this alive you may be able to find the Cursed Seal, without it you are lost…"

--

No! She couldn't,_ wouldn't_ die! She grasped for strength, something that would enable her to open her eyes. She couldn't die now, she absolutely and admittedly _refused_!

--

"You must meet with _Death_ twice first…"

--

Her finger twitched slightly and she managed to stir… before the absolute crushing pain came back, shoving her back into her place. No… No! She had to open her eyes! Just a little bit!

--

"…Once you find the entrance you must navigate _The Minds_, a nearly endless maze filled with danger beyond your imagination…"

--

Someone was crying… her father? How long had it been? Who was holding her? She had to open her eyes, if nothing else; she _had_ to open her eyes at least once more! Death wouldn't control her every move, she _refused_…

--

"At the final gateway there will be five questions, there are two correct answers for each question that must be expressed at the same time… if you get it even a _little_ wrong, a part of your soul will be ripped out… assuming you can survive this happening, you can afford to get up to four wrong or the door will not open."

--

Her eyes were heavy but she could see a little, it was blurry but she could see… a little… there was an exclamation of relief when she opened them and she realized someone _was_ holding her. Who? It wasn't her father, she could see her father kneeling nearby… who was… her eyes widened a little through great effort and she managed to see purplish blue eyes filled with tears.

--

"…assuming you are capable of surviving that you can move on to the next step…"

--

Her vision was settling a little and she saw a monocle… a monocle?! Even in her scattered state she knew that could only mean…

--

"…it's only a rumor…"

--

White hat, white suit, monocle on right eye… Kaitou KID, international thief and the one she hated the absolute most in existence… was crying? She heard something else and smiled lightly. She couldn't trace the smell… but it was familiar and pleasant.

--

"…about a _back door_ if you will… a plot hole that defies the rules…"

--

She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore… she gritted her teeth and attempted to say something, _anything_…

--

"…but the moment you enter the land of the dead you _are_ dead, you won't be leaving your body behind but you will be dead. It can take up to thirty-two hours before your body realizes this but it will only take twenty-eight for a shinigami to find you."

--

"…ste—" she coughed up blood in a jerking motion, complete pain consumed her and she wasn't even sure if she'd live to finish her sentence.

--

"…don't get lost…"

--

Someone was telling her to be quiet, to just concentrate on surviving. She could do that… really… she could… she _knew_ she couldn't die now, she had to… she had to… she had to what? What had she forgotten to do that was so direly important?

--

"…her soul might not have been taken yet…"

--

_Tousan… Kaito… Keiko…_ she knew there were people who would suffer if she died, she couldn't let them feel so much pain… was that the only reason? No… she had other stuff… incomplete stuff… what?

--

"…there's a limit though…"

--

_Kuroba Kaito_… what about him? She couldn't help but be confused that his name was standing out among them all… he was her childhood friend, her _best_ friend for years now… but shouldn't she be thinking about her father more? Why was she so regretful about leaving Kaito? She was her fathers only remaining family; it would hurt him a lot more.

--

"…there are _Trials_ to get into there but you don't have the time for those, the _Trials_ reward you with _Pain_…"

--

"…am I…" she choked again and they reprimanded her for talking, urgently telling her to wait for the ambulance. Her father had tears in his eyes and he didn't seem to care in the least that KID was there, he just wanted her to live… _So I am more important to him than KID…_

--

This _is_ a tragedy.

No ifs, no ands, no buts…

--

KID had dropped whatever jewel it was today, she could see it glimmering just beyond them. She smiled sardonically, she was dying in the arms of someone she hated… funny how comfortable she felt. But that was probably just her body numbing after all the blood loss… she really was dying, wasn't she?

--

Are you willing to die twice, fulfill pain's wishes, wander an endless hell, open the gate to death, and search through your own demise to find your quarry?

--

Her eyes started drifting shut and she began to panic, she had to say something… she couldn't die without telling…! Telling what? She couldn't help but be confused, what was she going to say?

"…love you… goodnight…"

She vaguely saw the(pretty) purplish blue eyes widen before she couldn't see anything anymore.

--

Are you willing to be the messenger?

--

"AOKO!"

--

Tragedy _will_ catch you regardless… are you willing to risk it all?

* * *

_((Ending Notes: I killed Aoko!! T.T!! Can't believe I just did that, can ya? Yes, this is my first time killing off a character(other than Itachi or Sasuke, Uchiha's annoy me) hm… XC_

_Happy-go-lucky-hyper-dance!!_

_XD lol, I'm hoping to update soon(then it won't be _quite_ as confusing!) I really hope you guys liked it, I'm actually pretty nervous about it -.-; h-heh heh… monkey souls?_

_Have a wonderful day!_

_-Muse-chan pacing nervously.))_


	2. Task: After Shock

_((A/N: And she updates! Yay! Er… yeah…_

_I'm a little nervous about this chapter, but I hope you guys like it!_

_Disclaimer: Nope, not filthy rich with millions of fans… wish I was though! XD_

_Have a wonderful day!_

_Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: After Shock_

It occurred to Shinichi that KID knew the girl.

No one really had time to react after the girl was stabbed. Blood came out in what seemed like immeasurable amounts and everyone stared in shock at her scream.

Who attacked her? What was the weapon? _Where_ was the weapon?

Conan couldn't see anyone nearby that could've done it, he wasn't given time to search either. He'd _expected_ the girls fathers yell of horror and anguish at the sight of his daughter falling…

…he _hadn't_ expected Kaitou KID to ditch his jewel and run to catch the girl.

His pristine white suit was already covered in blood by the time she'd been lowered to the floor. Nakamouri-keibu was at their side in an instant and leaning over his daughter.

It was here that it occurred to Shinichi that KID knew the dying girl. The thief's famous poker-face had flown to the winds and he was yelling desperately for her not to die.

Shinichi vaguely heard someone scream for an ambulance.

Without a second thought Conan rushed over to the small group of people by the girl, she was going to need some form of first-aid before the ambulance got here or she wasn't going to make it. A quick glance over and he was almost positive it was a stab wound.

"Aoko! Wake up! Aoko!" It then occurred to the miniature detective that the girl meant a lot to him.

She was bleeding too much.

He paused before reaching them, with the sheer amount of blood she'd already lost it was doubtful she'd last five more minutes.

"…love you… goodnight…"

There was so much blood.

And she was dead.

"_Aoko_!!" it was a horrible sound to listen to, all things considered, the boy was in so much pain.

Nakamouri-keibu was in no better a condition.

It didn't matter how calm he stayed in order to search for the murderer, it didn't matter how many times he'd seen similar scenes…

Shinichi clenched his fist stubbornly.

He'd find the murderer.

Nakamouri remained next to the two, it was obvious by now to him at least who exactly KID was but he didn't care in the least at the moment.

His daughter was dead.

_Aoko_ was dead.

It was enough to break a man.

Nakamouri Ginzo was a strong man though. He'd been through _many_ things that could break a man and he pushed back with just as much force.

His _daughter_ was dead.

He could feel something in him dying.

No parent ever wanted to see their child die. No parent wanted to _live_ to see their child die. It was selfish, but mostly true.

Nakamouri had _never_ wanted to see his daughter die… and most certainly, never wanted her to die this young.

She was seventeen.

It was too young… too young…

Ginzo was a strong man and he had lived through his fair share of tragedy…

…this was too much.

Something inside him was crumbling and he wasn't sure if he could get up. He wasn't sure he could bounce back.

One more look at the corpse and he wasn't even sure he could _breathe_.

There were people trying to convince him to get up but he could only vaguely hear them.

"…_love you… goodnight…"_

Kaitou KID did not move. They could cuff him right there and he wouldn't care.

Was he even 'KID' right now?

'KID' could pull off the impossible. 'KID' was damn near invincible.

All he could feel was helplessness.

Aoko was dead.

In a small corner of his mind he somehow still couldn't believe it, a vehement denial of sorts. An expression of complete disbelief.

Another, larger portion of his mind was numb. And a much larger part than either was simply crumbling.

Aoko was _dead_.

He couldn't stop it, he couldn't help her. The blood wouldn't stop.

He had been useless.

He wasn't Kaitou KID right now. He was just Kuroba Kaito.

Aoko couldn't be dead… Aoko was his childhood friend, someone he trusted with all but one of his secrets. Aoko was a straight forward girl who never fell for the charm of a Moonlight Magician. Aoko looked up to her father and attacked Kaito with mops.

Aoko could _not_ be dead!

She was loud, cute rather than pretty, tomboyish, smart… she was there just a second ago. Just a short while ago he'd been _talking_ to her.

Aoko couldn't die! Not now!

"…wake up…" he nearly whimpered, no matter how many times he had asked, Aoko remained impervious and quite dead.

He felt a small hand on his shoulder but didn't acknowledge it much. He didn't have time for whoever it was.

"Come on, moron, wake up…"

He was shaking, he finally realized. He was also quite certain he was crying.

Didn't matter, he'd never use a poker-face again if it meant he could have Aoko back.

Why wasn't she waking up?!

There was so much blood…

The hand on his shoulder tightened slightly but he still paid in no heed. Aoko was the one that needed attention right now…

…why was she getting cold?

Despite the fact that he already knew she was gone, he still felt a jolting shock at the realization.

He couldn't save her.

He looked away for a moment, scanning everyone nearby with a helpless and terrified expression. Poker-face had crumbled, he couldn't bring himself to put on a blank expression, and his emotions were displayed for the entire crowd.

He was breaking inside.

Something in him couldn't think about getting up. Something in him had soundly broken.

Hopelessness had seeped in.

He looked back down to his best friend. She was smiling slightly, her eyes had slid shut while she was saying her last words and there was blood splattered on her face.

With a still sinking stomach he moved to wipe the blood from her face.

"…please Aoko… please don't…" he choked on his words and his hand rested on her cheek brokenly.

…and still, a small part of him raged, this was not possible. That there was still some way he could save her.

She couldn't die. He wouldn't let her.

She was too precious to lose.

He squeezed his eyes shut, inwardly attempting to gather his thoughts.

And his arms felt lighter.

His eyes shot open, he'd first suspected that someone was attempting to lift Aoko out of his grip but no one nearby was attempting it.

He brought his alarmed gaze down to Aoko.

Aoko wasn't there.

He wasn't the only one to notice by any means, but no one knew where she went.

"_Seventy-four hours Kuroba…"_

He shivered at the voice and looked around urgently for where it had come from.

He _knew_ that voice from somewhere.

There was no corpse and no one who matched the voice he heard.

--

He quite honestly didn't know how or when he had left the scene. His body had moved on reflex alone. He was there one moment, gone the next.

He was still covered in blood.

_Her_ blood.

He wasn't even sure he _wanted_ to bathe. He didn't feel like it would ever come off.

He felt like it was his fault.

And the insanity seeped in.

He moved robotically when he'd reached his fathers secret room… off with the crimson suit, into a quick shower and a fresh suit. He had to do something.

…what?

His thoughts drifted back to the scene. He remembered Tantei-kun's pitying look, Nakamouri-keibu's despaired look, the crowd that mostly consisted of cops general shocked expressions…

…and Aoko.

Aoko was gone. He needed to find Aoko.

He needed to think clearly for this. He couldn't lose poker-face again. If he lost poker-face he lost Aoko.

He _needed_ to find Aoko.

His mind drifted back to the scene once more.

Nakamouri-keibu was soaked in his own daughter's blood.

Kaito knew that Ginzo was a strong man. He remembered going to Nakamouri's father's funeral. He remembered going to Nakamouri's _wife's_ funeral. He remembered lighting incense for his mother's grave. He remembered asking if the man had any siblings…

…the man was mostly alone for years now.

He could remember offering to play with Aoko when Nakamouri got that _expression_…

Kaito knew that expression. His mother got that expression often.

He also remembered the joy on Nakamouri's face whenever he still had his daughter.

The relief on his face when Kaito found the lost Aoko at the Zoo.

The worry when Aoko got hurt at the park.

Kaito was very good at reading people. It worked well in his line of work too.

Aoko was Nakamori-keibu's life.

Kaito clenched his fist painfully.

He _had_ to find Aoko!

"_Seventy-four hours Kuroba…"_

'_Seventy-three now…_' Kaito mentally corrected, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself a bit.

He still didn't know who had spoken, but he knew a time limit when he heard one.

Whoever it was, for whatever reason it was, he didn't want to find out what would happen if he didn't make the deadline.

He needed to find Aoko quickly.

He clenched his fist painfully again.

He needed to stop thinking too much about Aoko. He wouldn't be able to take it if he thought too much about Aoko. He just needed to concentrate on finding her.

Aoko wasn't dead. She couldn't be.

Where had she disappeared to though?

'_Think, Kaito… who was in the crowd…?_'

There was most of the KID task-force.

Tantei-kun had been there, along with his lady-love and her father.

Hakuba had been there earlier but he'd left the scene a short while after Aoko… he was probably the one who called the ambulance.

Koizumi Akako was there.

He straightened suddenly at the thought.

Akako hadn't been there before Aoko got injured.

When had Akako shown up? What was Akako even _doing_ there…?

He paused and picked up his top hat, placing it on swiftly he was out his window in seconds.

Akako was a good lead regardless, she always knew creepy things. She could know what happened to Aoko, heck, she could have _caused_ what happened to her!

Kaito didn't spare a thought to logic; he just needed to find Aoko…

…he was Kaitou KID. He _would_ find Aoko.

He'd steal her back if he had to.

* * *

_((Ending Notes: Dun dun dun!! -.-' sooooo, like? Hate? Constructrive critique? I'm dying here people!_

_Thank you all that read! I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed it!_

…_-bites nails nervously- is it boring? -.-'_

_-Muse-chan having a panic-attack.))_


	3. Task: Price

((A/N:

_((A/N: Maa! I feel inspired all over again to write this!_

_Thank you all that reviewed! I love reading your comments! It was really nice to know that so many people like this!_

_I'll try my best to keep ya'll happy :3_

_I'd like to thank 'A Fan' particularly; your review was wonderful to read and removed a lot of my doubts about this story! Would it be weird if I told you that you had me at the edge of my seat? XD Thank you about the advice for updating BTW! I'm new to DC fandom so I didn't know all that X3_

_Oh! FYI for those that are interested; I've drawn quite a bit of DC/MK fanart and I'm going to start posting on my devART account soon._

_-Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Price_

It was starting to rain.

The case was going nowhere and fast. Nakamouri-keibu was sitting solemnly in the lobby, he hadn't spoken at all since Aoko disappeared and most were intelligent enough to give the man some time to grieve.

There was no sign of the murder weapon or the murderer, they couldn't even find out where the _corpse_. Some speculated that KID could have made it disappear but they were quieted with silent glares from other witnesses.

It wasn't exactly like KID had enough energy to do something like that. It was obvious as day that he was grieving over Aoko as much as the rest and he'd been equally panicked when she disappeared.

Poker-face or not, there were some things you just couldn't fake.

Conan was getting annoyed though. It seemed _everyone _in the task-force knew who KID was by now, but no one said a word.

Hakuba seemed to know too.

It was irritating, he needed all the information he could get to catch the murderer but almost everyone was mute about the entire affair. Sure, they talked among themselves a bit but an outsider was lucky to get any information at all.

Conan let out an agitated sound and flopped onto a plastic chair. He needed to change tactic…

The case was fishy from beginning to end. No one saw the murder weapon. No one saw the murderer. No one could find the corpse.

It was as if everyone had simply blinked at once and in that time she'd vanished.

It was _impossible_. Even for KID. She was bleeding too much to just drag her away, there were no trap doors or even buildings near enough, and even if they'd managed to make her take flight somehow blood would have dripped from above.

There was no way to have managed.

Shinichi growled; his thoughts were going in circles.

A can of juice hung in front of his face.

Conan blinked and looked at the one holding it out.

Hakuba gave him a tired, almost understanding smile.

Sometimes Shinichi had to wonder how much Hakuba suspected of him…

"Ah, thank you!" he bubbled in his cheerful 'Conan' voice, accepting the juice with only mild hesitation.

Hakuba just shrugged and took a seat next to the pint sized detective.

"It's an impossible crime…" he sighed, almost sounding as if he was admitting defeat.

Conan knew better. It was frustration. He nodded in understanding, clutching the can a little harder.

"…yeah…"

The silence stretched for some time before Hakuba seemed to lose himself in a moment of frustration and crashed his fist against his knees.

"I couldn't do _anything_… she died under my watch…!" Hakuba's shoulders were shaking and Conan looked at the floor stonily. Hakuba's words mirrored his own thoughts.

Nakamouri Aoko had died while under _his_ protection. He should have paid more attention; been _smarter_… she wouldn't have died if he'd only…!

It was the regret he felt every time he failed to save a victim.

There was no bringing back a life though.

"Kami…" Hakuba groaned, "I hope Kuroba doesn't do anything stupid…"

"Kuroba?" Conan couldn't resist questioning. The more he knew, the more likely he was to find the killer.

Hakuba sent him a sidelong glance, seeming to be contemplating whether or not to tell him.

"…I'll leave that up to you to figure out." Hakuba finally decided, not looking at Conan.

He couldn't have _spelled_ it out clearer.

Whoever this Kuroba was, he was Kaitou KID.

Conan leaned back, "…yeah." He agreed to Hakuba's earlier statement. KI—_Kuroba_ hadn't seemed exactly sane when he finally left the scene.

Nakamouri Aoko was obviously a very important person to him.

Another time, in a less serious situation, Shinichi might've found the irony of that relationship chuckle worthy. Heiji would've probably found it hilarious.

But whatever joke that could have been had died off.

The image of KID attempting haplessly to shake her awake was nearly haunting… it made Shinichi wonder if he'd ever have to watch Ran die like that. He lived a dangerous enough life that even _without_ the organization someone could still target Ran to get to him.

The idea scared him.

He could practically _see_ himself trying desperately to keep her alive as she slowly slipped away.

This case was going to give him nightmares for some time to come.

Perhaps it was because KID looked so similar to himself, maybe it was simply because he'd been more and more worried about Ran's safety recently…

He didn't care to track the reason. He'd rather not think about it at all.

Aoko, luckily, didn't look much like Ran so it saved him _some_ of the visions that could haunt him… but still, if Aoko's face was more mature, her hair a different shade and a different length…

He shivered to think of it.

Frustration and mild fear was taking over the normally composed detectives, neither were quite able to look at the case with an impartial eye.

Both Aoko and Kuroba were Hakuba's _friends_. He was already offset and horrified to see Aoko murdered… 'offset' being the understatement of the hour.

He couldn't look at it from a detective's point of view. It was too _personal_.

By all rights, he should have KID in his list of suspects, despite the impossibility of him doing it he _was_ the most capable of pulling it off present. He almost felt ashamed that he couldn't bring himself to add him to the list of suspects.

Shinichi was unnerved. The entire thing gave him goosebumps. He could hardly think straight at all, he was anything but impartial about the suspects and he couldn't get the nightmarish image of it all from his mind.

It was as if someone had meant this to be some terrifying nightmare.

Something was terribly wrong about this case and the more he thought about it the more it felt as if he were treading on dangerous waters.

--

Kaitou KID made a point of landing without a sound. He was a phantom of the night at the only hint he arrived _should_ be his fluttering cape in the moonlight.

Regardless of this though Koizumi Akako remained completely aware of the new presence, she didn't have to look to know that KID had arrived. Not that the thief was any less suave that evening, if anything the events of earlier in the evening had made him three times as capable.

He was dead serious.

But Akako had been expecting him for sometime now and it was no surprise that he arrived when he did.

She knew he'd seen her at the scene.

She knew he'd come to seek her out.

However, despite a few educated guesses, she had no idea what he had come to ask for.

He could have come to ask her something she _couldn't_ do. It went against even _her_, quite loose, moral code.

There were some things that even the darkest of witches did not dabble with.

On the other hand he could have come to blame her for the entire fiasco. It was obviously not a _natural_ murder and the only person he knew that touched the supernatural at all was her. Not to mention he had little reason to doubt she would do it, she wasn't very fond of Aoko at all.

There were countless things that KID could have come to her about; the trouble was that even the powerful witch could not read Kaitou KID's movements before he brought them into reality. The thief was an entirely unpredictable enigma.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Akako was already poised for the worst. KID had no reason to believe her story.

KID was silent for a moment and she was tempted to whirl around so that her back wasn't to the illustrious thief, but she knew what she'd see.

Poker-face would never be stronger than it was today. With Aoko's life in the balance, KID would be more serious than ever.

"Where is she?" his tone was straight forward. He knew she knew something. She couldn't help but be thankful it didn't sound accusatory, but than again it wouldn't be like him to let her know what he was thinking.

Akako willed herself not to panic. She trusted KID, yes, and she knew he was a far better person than her… but she still couldn't resist the small nagging thought that this last blow may have driven some insanity into him.

"…I'm not sure." It wasn't a complete lie. She could guess _exactly_ where Aoko was.

But she was by no means completely sure.

She felt more than anything else the thinly hidden deadly aura at her answer.

KID was in no mood for games.

"Where _is_ Aoko?" his impatience surprisingly still well hidden. But he did stress his words a little more.

"I didn't lie, I can't be sure where she is…" she trailed off, her attention kept strictly on the task before her.

"…but you can guess." He finished evenly.

"Easily." She replied flippantly, happy her own poker face wasn't crumbling.

He seemed to be considering his next words. He may have been desperate, half insane and in no mood for games but he knew when he had to ask the _right_ questions.

It was times like this she was happy for his intelligence.

No information was free. Even if she _wanted_ to tell him bluntly what he wanted to know she _couldn't_.

Not unless the right questions were asked.

She was a witch with quite a bit of freedom, yes… but there were rules that even she didn't dare cross. It would risk everything she owned, had, _knew_…

Akako couldn't afford the steep price for breaking the rules. Not even for the love of her life.

"…is she dead?"

She was startled when he spoke again. His tone was as level as ever, it was the question that caught her off guard.

It wasn't often that people knew which questions to ask. She hadn't realized how surprising it would be for someone to…

"Depends on how you look at it."

There was no way Akako could say yes _or_ no to that question. It may present more questions for the thief, but it answered possibly the most important question in his mind.

Aoko still had a chance… depending on how you viewed it.

Akako couldn't tell him _precise_ answers, but she could give him indirect ones.

There was silence again and KID was considering his questions carefully again. He seemed to realize she could only answer so many questions.

'_Don't waste any questions, Kuroba-kun._'

"Why'd her body vanish?"

It took Akako a moment to decide how to answer.

"That was my doing… at first."

She could practically _hear_ him processing her words.

"Hypothetically, where would you think the body would go?"

They were treading on dangerous waters, Akako felt far more nervous than she had in a long time. He was still asking questions she could answer, but it was getting closer to the questions that she was unable to reply to.

"Hades." It wasn't _exactly_ correct, but that's what she'd always considered _that place_ to be.

She got tremors thinking about it.

She heard himself catch himself before he asked one of the more dangerous questions, she knew he wanted to but he was smart enough to realize how deadly it would be to say it.

He may not believe in her hocus-pocus much, but he knew enough of it to know the thick tension in the air wasn't simply their own.

In a way it was as if there was a third party involved. Someone neither of them would want to upset.

The thief's heart was racing; he _knew_ he only had a few more questions left and he hadn't gotten nearly enough answers yet.

Why was it so complicated?

He didn't know why Akako couldn't just answer his questions but he knew he didn't have quite enough time to find out.

It had already been another forty minutes since he last checked the time.

Timing was direly important.

He needed the information as soon as possible. He _needed_ to find Aoko.

He wouldn't _let_ her die.

Akako hardly fidgeted under the unnatural pressure on the room, she was likely more than a little used to it.

Was it magic? He didn't know.

She'd been open to talking, but obviously could only give roundabout answers, he'd realized this much earlier in the conversation. She was restraining herself from saying… something.

He had a hunch it had something to do with the distinct feeling of being watched he was getting.

"How do I get there?"

He knew before he finished the question that it was the wrong one.

She couldn't answer it.

"Find the price." It was vague; it probably shouldn't have made any sense to him.

It was supposed to be the stumper that made him give up.

But somehow it made perfect sense. She couldn't tell him without a price… he had a hunch what the price was to.

He didn't know what she would need with it and he found he didn't really _want_ to know.

He rolled up his sleeve and only a second later a red substance dripped onto the floor.

Akako had spun around and was staring at him with unrestrained shock.

The tension in the room mounted to what seemed to be its peak. For a split second he wondered what he was even _thinking_.

The small part of him that still hailed to sanity.

He was not by any means involved in the dark arts and he didn't know much other than what he had read about… nothing that he had read about talked about anything like this though and he had to wonder where he even got the idea.

It was sickening to realize it was because of Aoko's bleeding.

There was another moment of tense silence before Akako seemingly forced herself to calm down.

He should have been scared when she closed her eyes and chanted… something. He would admit he felt more than a little uneasy but more than anything he was determined.

Whatever it took, he was going to get Aoko… and from the look of things, it could potentially cost quite a bit.

Mentally he acknowledged that he now only had seventy-two hours left.

* * *

_((Ending Notes: XD Monkey-flailing-attack-of-doom! I'm back—! Miss me? It __**has**__ been… eight pages since you last heard from my after all ;3_

_I know it's confusing and I'm sorry if no one understood what was going on -.-;; aw well, adds to the mystery, ne?_

_Anyway, I'm worried about how I did the last scene(not sure how in or out of character I went -.-') so if anyone has some advice that would be absolutely lovely! (just don't ask me to be blunter, my writing style is twirly-whirly and confusing. It's a fact)_

_Any other criticism is welcome as well! I'm still very amateurish in my writing and I could use all the help I can get!_

_Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! :3_

_Have a fantastic day!_

_-Muse-chan eating cheesecake and avoiding homework.))_


	4. Task: Dangerous Waters

_((A/N: And she's back! :) anyone miss me?_

_Thank you all for reviewing!! You were all very encouraging! :3 Another word to 'A Fan'! Thank you for being such a wonderful reviewer(and keeping me on my toes!) I don't think I'd have the courage to post this chapter without your encouragement -.-'_

_As always, I sincerely hope you all enjoy reading and if you have any complaints I would adore to listen to them(as long as they are intelligently phrased, 'this rlly scks' isn't very informative)._

_And sorry for the sorta late update(school is hectic)! Have a wonderful day!_

_-Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Dangerous Waters_

It stands to reason that most things happen for a reason.

Ignoring accidents, when a person is killed there is generally a motive. A _reason_.

Whether it is malicious grudge, desperate struggle, random panic, self defense… there is most always a method to the madness, even if the method seems even more ludicrous than the madness itself.

So it stands to reason that there was a motive for the murder of Nakamouri Aoko.

The problem with this logic however is that they couldn't seem to find a _plausible_ reason for her murder, there are possibilities; someone trying to get to her father, someone knew KID's identity and Aoko's relationship with him, someone with a personal grudge…

But these reasons didn't seem possible.

There were very few people who could guess KID's identity, fewer that held a deep enough grudge against him to kill his childhood friend. If they were going to kill someone it seemed to make more sense to kill KID's mother.

Aoko didn't have many enemies at all, none of which held much of a grudge against her. It was a possibility that she had a dangerous enemy she didn't tell anyone about but it didn't seem likely either. She was the daughter of Nakamouri-keibu; she would have told her father if she felt like she was in danger. She also wasn't much of a liar.

The highest possibility seemed to be a grudge against Nakamouri-keibu, but that also didn't sound right. Nakamouri was head of the KID Task-Force, other than fans that may not want KID captured; he hadn't made that many enemies. The enemies he had made at other times were either hardly dangerous enough to kill his daughter or already in prison.

There were still _possibilities_ but in the end it was all speculation, nothing seemed to suit the nature of the murder either.

It was frustrating and tiresome but Hakuba ran over the details of the case in his mind another time, there had to be something he was missing, something he failed to notice.

Something that would lead him to answers…

Next to him a much smaller detective went over what he knew of the case reaching equally dead ends.

Hakuba vaguely pondered giving up for a bit, if only to calm down. Aoko was one of his close friends and the shock of her sudden death was irking him quite a bit. To be honest he felt rather dead inside.

Aoko was _dead_.

It somehow didn't even seem real.

Another part of him rebelled violently against the idea of resting. Aoko was dead, he _had_ to find her murderer and bring them to justice. He _had_ to find Aoko's body and make sure she got a proper burial.

There were no other options.

He clenched his fists with yet more determination and went over the details of the case once more.

--

If Kaito found it odd that the room appeared to be glowing creepily, he didn't show it. Poker-face didn't let any of his thoughts seep into the room.

Akako was directly in front of him, her gaze concentrated firmly on the blood he spilled on the floor.

_His_ blood.

He wondered for not the first time that evening what he was getting into if the price was blood.

He was only mildly alarmed when he saw some of the blood steaming into the air. Akako seemed to do something with the steam and in a moment it vanished. The blood remaining on the floor was left in an odd design.

A seal.

And Kaito knew he was too far involved now to back out.

Akako took a deep breath and began to speak, "If you summon the dead to life, you will commit _necromancy_, a completely unforgivable sin that will cost you something far worst then your life… far worse then _their_ life. There is no way to _summon_ the dead without signing _both_ of you up for things far beyond your imagination…"

Kaito's brow furrowed, "You said she wasn't dead."

Akako flinched slightly and he narrowed his eyes.

"…not necessarily…" Akako trailed off looking mildly guilty. Kaito was about to ask her what she meant before she continued, "…there's a rumor."

"A rumor?" Kaito resisted displaying his curiosity on his face.

"A theory really," Akako amended, "…about a _back door_ if you will… a plot hole that defies the rules…"

"Stop talking in riddles, Koizumi," he narrowed his eyes dangerously, he'd paid the blood price to get direct answers, he expected to get what he paid for.

"Summoning the dead will result in some very horrible things and it never _really_ works… I want to make it very clear that by any means what so ever, summoning the dead _should never be done_. However… this is only if you _summon_ the dead…" she bit her lip, "…there is a loophole though…"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "If you were anyone else I wouldn't be telling you this… if she died for any other reason I wouldn't be helping either, but as it is…" everything in her body language said she was hesitating, "Kuroba-kun… how determined are you?"

He almost opened his mouth to reprimand her for getting off topic but she didn't look like she was avoiding the topic, she didn't want him jumping into a hole he couldn't climb out of on a whim.

'Are you willing to sacrifice everything for this?'

'How much does this mean to you?'

There was a staring contest, Akako with questions and Kaito…

…Kaito remained stonily still and firm. Something in his eyes flashed and Akako was taken aback.

"…fine." Akako finally responded, "From the beginning then. Some of this isn't my secret to tell so you can't pay me to tell you; I arrived at the heist because of something Lucifer said and…" she trailed off and skipped her second reason entirely, "…the reason Aoko's body disappeared is because I sent it… somewhere I can't say. I have no domain there so I don't know where she is now."

She paused and glanced at Kaito, he appeared to be taking it well thus far but she reminded herself that she wasn't looking at _Kaito_; she was looking at the impenetrable mask of Kaitou KID.

"I did it to save her life. I can't say what attacked her and I can't tell you whether it was an accident or not but I _can_ tell you that the reasons it happened were not ones that I… approve of?" Akako seemed to struggle for the correct words slightly before deciding to simply continue regardless, "…her body currently resides in a place I can't enter. It is currently dead."

KID twitched slightly, a sign that his cool could be slipping a little.

"…don't worry about her body for now." She decided it was best that way, he shouldn't think too much about something he could do nothing about at the moment. "For now what you need to think about is her 'soul'."

She could tell he wanted to ask something but he wisely kept his mouth shut for now, most of the questions that she didn't answer she wouldn't be _able_ to answer. She'd already stated this in the beginning.

"Summoning a soul is impossibly bad, so you can't do that… but if you can retrieve her soul yourself within the allotted time… there are three necessary things to live, your body, your core and your soul."

"Core?"

Akako nodded, "I can't explain to you that exact details but once a person dies all three of these are separated. If the core leaves she will die with no chance of return. That's why I sent her where I did, _that_ _place_ will lengthen the time between the separation; meanwhile you need to get her soul…"

He nodded briefly.

"…before the reaper gets it."

There was a stretch of silence and Kaito felt the pressure of the entire situation.

"Listen carefully; I'm not going to repeat myself. If you want to get her soul, first you must find seven of the Gates of Hell and retrieve from them a piece of _True Pain_. If you manage this alive you may be able to find the Cursed Seal, without it you are lost."

"I can't tell you what _Pain_ is, you will have to find out for yourself… secondly…"

Outside the rain changed from a sprinkle to a storm.

--

Dark would be one way of describing it, but it was more dim than anything else. The lighting was a faint glow and there were roots and moss everywhere.

She'd never been to a place like this before.

The floor was a slight swamp, the waters too shallow to be considered more than puddles. There was the sound of rain just off into the distance and there were trees covered in moss encasing the scene.

It occurred to her to panic. Nothing seemed quite safe here…

…it also occurred to her that nothing seemed completely terrifying either.

It wasn't a gray area either.

Something seemed distinctly empty though.

Was that her? Or the area?

She thought she saw fireflies just beyond some trees but they were gone too quickly to be sure.

She _felt_ like a blank slate… she wasn't sure she 'felt' at all actually…

…all she could do was see…

She didn't even notice the chains holding her up by her wrists.

--

The television was on in the other room but he could only bring himself to vaguely care about this.

Hattori Heiji was busy with his current case.

It was a confusing one at that; a young pair of twins had been playing with one of their friends at the park while their mothers conversed when…

A knock on his bedroom door disrupted his thoughts.

Twitching mildly in annoyance, Heiji replied with a quick "come in!" before attempting to find where his train of thought had left off.

He vaguely took note that whoever entered his room walked too loudly to be his mother and too quietly to be his father, leaving his one and only childhood friend as the culprit.

"Heiji?" he felt a mild victory at being correct before furrowing his brows at how hesitant and nervous she sounded.

Kazuha was a confident girl, it wasn't often she approached Heiji with anything but a brave front. It wasn't like her to be nervous or hesitant about something without there being an underlying fear behind it.

Suddenly concerned Heiji glanced over his shoulder as he replied, "What's up?"

Kazuha fidgeted a little bit before smiling attentively, "Nothing… never mind…"

Now more than a little concerned, Heiji spun his chair around to face her, case all but forgotten.

"What is it?" he sent her a 'I-know-there's-something' look hoping she wouldn't avoid the topic further.

Whatever it was he knew it was bothering her and if it was bothering her it was bothering him. He didn't bother to try and find out how that logic worked, simply accepted it as the truth.

Kazuha fidgeted a bit more, she knew better to try and hide it when Heiji was determined to find out what it was… but she wasn't even _sure_…

But from the look on Heiji's face he wouldn't give up until he found out whatever it was…

…_unless_ she distracted his attention…

She sighed, "I'm pregnant."

Heiji sputtered and fell over, "H-how?!" a moment, "WHO?!"

Kazuha bit back a grin.

"…I'm not sure…"

Heiji by this time, if he was in his right mind, might have noticed that Kazuha had started giggling and was quite obviously pulling his leg… however…

"HOW CAN YOU NOT BE SURE?!"

It took quite some time before she managed to convince him that no, she wasn't pregnant and that yes, she _was_ kidding.

Heiji, being the cute one track minded boy he was, didn't notice the not so subtle change of topic.

…but he _was_ also very, _very_ upset with her and currently grumbling and glaring as he pored over some papers on his desk.

Kazuha smiled faintly from where she sat on his bed. It was pointless to bring it up… it was only a silly dream…

…still… Kazuha couldn't shake the uneasy cryptic feeling. It had been a terrifyingly realistic dream.

Heiji would just laugh at her if she brought it up…

…but…

She hesitantly glanced at her childhood friend and curled up into a ball.

She couldn't help but feel that it was going to be a _long_ night.

A shiver ran down her spine at the thought.

--

She'd lost track of Conan _again_… she'd swear she needed to get a tracking device on that boy. It was impossible to keep track of him.

It had taken her a half hour of searching before she saw both him and Hakuba, both appearing to be deep in thought. A part of her was suddenly hesitant to approach, almost as if she'd be interfering somehow if she did.

She shook off the feeling; there was no reason to be worried. Conan was just attempting to figure out the case. He was always sticking his nose into cases…

…she had to wonder how healthy it was for a seven year old child to see so many graphic murders.

Ran sighed and put on her best motherly smile while approaching, as upset at him as she was for pulling yet another disappearing act she didn't quite have the heart to lecture him right after the murder.

"Conan-kun?"

He immediately snapped out of his thoughtful state and smiled brightly at her, "Ran-neechan!"

…she was already reconsidering going easy on him because of the murder; he didn't seem terribly upset about it at all.

"What are you doing running off like that?" she scolded, approaching the boy with a reprimanding expression.

"Ah, gomen, gomen!" he smiled sheepishly while hopping down from his chair.

Ran frowned, this kid made it _impossible_ to stay upset. She leaned down and reached for his hand, "Come on, Conan-kun, Takagi-san is going to give us a ride home. Tousan doesn't want us involved…"

Understandable. Kogoro had just watched a man lose his daughter, it was natural to want his own daughter as far away from the crime scene—and the murderer— as possible.

But Shinichi didn't think the murderer was there anymore. There was no murderous intent left in the crowd, only grief. Besides, if they could make the body vanish so easily, who's to say they couldn't disappear as well?

Even in his own mind it sounded like something Kogoro would cook up but he couldn't think of any other explanation.

He resisted the urge to hit something in frustration.

He reached up for Ran's hand though, "Hai!"

He'd have to find a way to escape from her long enough to continue investigating.

* * *

_((Ending Notes: I am not at all satisfied with this chapter… it was pretty boring and mostly set up for future events… -sigh- also, I think I may have been more a than a little OOC at times._

_About the pregnant joke, don't think too much on it. I actually only typed that because Burbs-chan was leaning over my shoulder and I wanted to make her sputter. She said I should keep it though soooo…_

…_yeah, I'm just nervous about this chapter as a whole._

_I promise I'll make the next chapter better! Thank you all for reading!_

_-Muse-chan hesitating to post.))_


	5. Task: Pain

_((A/N: Ah I dunno what I think of this chappy XS lol. Oh well! :3_

_And how is my precious audience? XD –is hyperactive- thank ya'll for reading! It brings me great joy to read reviews(I get hyper) though there is still quite a bit of intro still left so I hope I don't go too slow -.-'_

_Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Pain_

Kazuha jumped out of her skin when she heard something landing on the roof, if she hadn't been listening for it she would have never heard it.

Heiji certainly didn't hear it. He stayed at his desk looking over folders.

It had been at least two hours since she arrived and she couldn't _bring_ herself to leave. The dream was too vivid, too _painful_…

Her heart rammed painfully against her ribcage when she heard someone land on the roof though. Her blood ran cold and she felt as if she were completely frozen.

If she moved something could happen.

Heiji was oblivious of the building tension.

Finally whatever landed on the roof burst into movement; desperate, quick and silent movements.

She knew it was going to the dojo.

She opened her mouth to tell Heiji but felt as if she couldn't speak, a slight squeaking noise escaped her throat but she couldn't call out his name.

Was she too scared to talk?

She didn't know but she couldn't stay still. The _last_ place she wanted to go was the dojo but she couldn't resist.

Something bad would happen whether she was there or not… but she might be able to help if she was there. She sprinted out of the room without a second glance, startling Heiji.

"Kazuha?!" she hardly even _heard_ him call. She needed to find a way to help.

It was too cruel otherwise.

Heiji spun around in his chair when he heard Kazuha rush out of his room. He would have chalked it up as needing to go bathroom or something but he _had_ caught a glimpse of her face.

She was in complete panic.

It didn't take him any second thoughts to give chase.

--

There was silence in the hall and Ginzo wasn't sure whether to feel grateful or unnerved.

He needed time to think.

Time he didn't have.

It was all too much to handle.

There was something to be said about Nakamouri Ginzo's relationships with others, the man knew how to _value_ people.

It didn't matter if they were random pedestrians, phantom thieves or too smart for their own good high school detectives.

It wasn't one of his more obvious traits; most people that _value_ others tend to attempt to make people _feel_ valued. Ginzo was less direct about this.

He valued people, he would risk his life for people, but he was a bit bashful when it came to expressing this.

Ginzo felt like he'd lost _three_ of his valued people.

Nakamouri Aoko, his daughter, had been attacked and died.

Kaitou KID had broken at the sight.

And Kuroba Kaito…

Ginzo clenched his eyes shut.

"_Aoko! Wake up!"_

He'd recognized the voice easily. He'd known the boy for years.

He loved the boy like a son.

He'd comforted the boy at his father's funeral, he'd seen the boy at his happiest and saddest; he'd watched the boy _grow up_…

"…_please… Aoko…"_

It wasn't that surprising to Ginzo to know who KID was, not that he had suspected Kaito but…

…perhaps that information just seemed insignificant compared to everything else.

He hadn't seen Kaito look so broken since his father died.

The _look_ in Kaito's eyes, he'd been begging for help, for _anyone_ to help her.

Kuroba Kaito was a stubborn boy, he didn't ask for help often.

Ginzo buried his face into his hands.

Where had Kaito gone?

Where had Aoko disappeared to?

He was worried. He wasn't sure if Kaito was _capable_ of watching Aoko die.

The boy had obviously been in some denial.

What would he do? His parental side screamed for him to find the boy, he couldn't let Kaito do something stupid.

But he knew if KID didn't want to be found there was no way anyone could find him.

--

Kaito had to ask himself if he had given just a little too much blood. It wasn't like him to even make the slightest _tapping_ sound when landing on a roof, sure he hadn't made enough sound to alert the inhabitants of the house(who were probably asleep given the time) but it had been enough for him to be slightly disappointed in his skills.

It didn't take long for him to set off towards the room he was looking for.

He didn't know quite _what_ Koizumi had done to him but he was _drawn_ to his target, like it was calling him.

"…_Pain isn't hard to find, if you know how to look…"_

And she had given him… _something_… immediately he had felt nearly _dragged_ to something he wasn't even sure he wanted to find. She had explained that was '_Pain_'.

He wasn't even sure how he got to Osaka. It all seemed to blur.

It was effortless to get into the dojo and he found the spot easily enough.

But what next?

For not the first time that evening Kaito had to wonder what he had to do next. He knew a piece of 'Pain' was near… but where? And what was he supposed to do with it?

'_Aoko…_'

"…_if you want to use Pain you have to have a __**motive**__, a drive that you can't be dissuaded from; you can't have doubts you must __**want**__ Pain more than anything else…"_

He had to want it…

He ground his teeth, everything in his body screamed that he needed to _run away_ from _whatever it was_. Kaito had a good sense of danger and this was certainly the height.

A nearly feral growl emitted from him and he touched the floor below him.

He _would_ get Aoko back, no matter what.

If that meant wanting… this…

For a moment Kaito felt almost masochistic.

Almost immediately after it felt as if someone had clutched his heart… no, not his heart…

Vaguely he registered a girl rushing into the room, screaming shrilly for him not to…

…not to what?

'_I want Pain._'

There aren't many things that would cause the great Kaitou Kid to let out a scream of agony. Certainly not many that he had encountered.

He knew whatever was holding him wasn't holding his heart. It was in that area but it wasn't his heart… he couldn't even imagine it as physical…

His vision had blurred and he wasn't sure if he'd screamed anymore or not; his body seemed oddly numb except for the…

…pain…?

Kaito's thoughts blanked as the agonizing sensation persisted. It was _torture_.

But he couldn't describe it quite as painful.

Certainly it wasn't pleasant, not at all… but there was no _physical_ pain.

"…_KID… Pain isn't what it seems… be careful…"_

He could recall the witches words, after she'd told him all she could about pain she'd completed with '_if you manage to survive that_'.

Pain could kill him.

'_Aoko…_'

A jolt and he could feel his body again, something painful had run don't his spine and he heard a distinct _cracking_ sound.

"_One last question… why are you willing to do all this?" she knew it wasn't wise to ask but…_

_He needed to know why._

"_She's my childhood friend, my __**best**__ friend."_

_She was disappointed with his answer, he could tell._

"_There's nothing I wouldn't do for her."_

_He was completely honest here._

Someone was shaking him and screeching. They wanted to help him.

'_I can't die… I __**will **__rescue Aoko…!_'

There was a crackling sensation against his skin.

…and he could _see_ pain.

He knew it wasn't something _meant_ to be seen, not if one wanted to keep any semblance of sanity… and in a moment _all_ he knew was very little.

'_Aoko…!_'

--

To say the screams were disturbing Heiji would be a complete understatement.

Kazuha, his best friend and childhood playmate runs off randomly with a completely _panicked_ expression and locks herself in the dojo where _screams_ are coming from.

Heiji wasn't exactly sure the door was locked either, last he checked the sliding door didn't _have_ a lock… also normally he'd be able to knock down the door. But the door wasn't budging regardless of what he did.

He could tell it wasn't Kazuha screaming… but the screaming still sent shivers down his spine. It hardly sounded _human_.

Heiji couldn't imagine what you'd have to do to a person to produce such a sound.

He didn't want to think about what would happen if Kazuha started screaming like that.

Everything about the situation screamed _danger_ and as if to tip the scales from bad to ridiculously worse… no one seemed to be noticing the screams.

His parents were home and both of them were light sleepers. The sound of this would have sent his father practically rolling down the stairs to find out what happened.

But still no one seemed to have been alarmed.

His _neighbors_ should be banging on the front door, demanding to know what was going on(it was certainly loud enough to alert them).

But there was _no one_.

It suddenly struck Heiji how quiet it was… discounting the horrible screams he couldn't hear any of the other sounds… now very alarmed Heiji moved to get his parents…

He'd only moved two feet before he found himself in front of the dojo door again. More futile attempts proved that he couldn't leave.

He couldn't get in and he couldn't get away.

--

He let out another blood curdling scream and Kazuha flinched visibly.

She'd come too late.

Heiji was banging on the door trying to get in but Kazuha hardly played heed to this. She didn't have to time to ponder why he couldn't get in. She didn't particularly care to find out why her body felt so much heavier after entering either.

She just wanted to help the squirming and screaming man on the ground. She touched his shoulder once it was still long enough but he didn't seem to notice in the least.

He was going to die.

Vaguely she registered that it was Kaitou KID, an international thief.

His back straightened suddenly and she heard a distinct _crack_. She feared the worst at first but after another moment he continued struggling. She could almost feel the _aftershock_ of his pain.

It was everywhere.

Kazuha shivered involuntarily. If she stayed close to this man for much longer she felt like it would reach out and wrap its icy fingers around her.

She didn't bother to wonder _what_ 'it' was.

'_I won't leave him to die._'

Kazuha had never been a coward and even if she had every reason to run…

…she just couldn't _comprehend_ the idea of only saving herself.

His eyes snapped open and Kazuha felt something grip her at the sight of them.

She'd seen people die; she wasn't Heiji's best friend for nothing. She'd seen people gripped with pain before. This wasn't like that.

It was so much more _powerful_… there were no last regrets in his eyes, no nostalgic ponder… it was pure, undiluted _pain_.

And then it was diluted.

'_Aoko…!_'

Kazuha took an involuntary step back. She didn't know _how_ she knew, but he wasn't all the way there.

It was like his _soul_ was seeping out.

Another crack resounded and he seemed to register his surroundings just a little better. Kazuha could almost hear the name again.

Whose name? It didn't matter.

Kazuha glared down with determination and gripped his shoulder again…

…she would_ not_ let him die, not while she could still do something, _anything_…

And she dislocated his shoulder.

The boy let out a yelp of pain and Kazuha felt satisfactory along with the mild guilt.

That had been a yelp; not a nearly inhuman scream of pain.

"Oi! Wake up ahou!" she knew if she stayed any longer she wouldn't be able to resist the strange allure the pain beckoned.

If she stayed longer she would be just as doomed as he was.

"Aoko! Whoever the hell that is! Think about Aoko!"

There was one more scream before he slumped.

Kazuha gulped, he was either dead or…

The boy shivered and attempted to sit up, only to fall back down on top of his dislocated arm.

"Arg!!"

Kazuha rushed into action and helped him sit up with Heiji's help…

…when had Heiji got there?

They spared no time in leaning him against a wall, he was panting and it was likely he was completely exhausted.

And then he laughed mirthlessly.

"So _that's_ 'pain'!" the kaitou leaned his head back and squinted his eyes shut.

"…and I have to do this three more times?!" he let out another barked laugh. Suddenly he blinked and glanced over at the two looking at him with confusion. A quick scan of the room proved that his monocle and hat had long since been scattered.

There was a slightly awkward silence before Kaito cleared his throat.

"…well, I've overstayed my welcome…" he attempted to stand but in a second he was pushed back down and Kazuha was glaring at him from above, having stood up.

"There is _no way_ you're going anywhere in that condition! You have a dislocated shoulder!" Toyama Kazuha, Kaito felt almost relieved when he recognized her as Hattori Heiji's best friend. He had been planning to disguise himself as Heiji for his next heist…

Suddenly her words registered and he turned to see his shoulder at a slightly unnatural angle, '_Now how did that happen…?_'

"…I don't suppose you'd pop it back in if I asked really nicely?" Kaito grinned with some amount of humor.

Heiji seemed to have had enough of being left in the dark and asked the question tugging at him since Kazuha had run out of the room.

"What the hell is going on?"

Kaito sighed, "There isn't time for that…" he tried sliding up the wall to his feet but Kazuha remained firm. Kaito ground his teeth and did the only thing he could think of…

…he slammed his throbbing shoulder against the wall behind him, popping it _painfully_ back into place.

Kazuha took a step back in shock and Kaito took this time to stand.

Heiji was on his feet in seconds but his questions died on his lips. KID was going to collapse any second, whatever happened had taken it out of him… nearly _everything_ out of him…

'…_and he said something about three more times…_'

Kaito sent a determined glare to both of them, "I'll explain all you want _later_. I only have seventy and a half hours left before…" he choked.

Something was seriously wrong. Not that Heiji hadn't already registered this but it seemed to hit him twice as hard when he recalled there had been a heist that evening.

KID managed to walk steadily as he picked up his monocle and hat. Heiji wasn't sure why he felt paralyzed but he didn't think he _could_ move if he tried.

"…Aoko…" Heiji blinked and turned towards Kazuha, KID did as well with equally wide eyes, "Aoko, who is that?"

KID was staring at her with wide shocked and slightly horrified eyes before his hat shadowed his eyes.

"…someone I will _not_ let die." Heiji's own eyes widened a fraction when he saw KID's eyes again.

They weren't the eyes of someone exhausted anymore or even the eyes of someone in pain.

Heiji didn't doubt for a second that the thief wouldn't rest until 'Aoko' was safe. He blinked; he recognized that name…—

There was a cloud of pink smoke and KID was gone.

A silence stretched over them and finally Heiji let out the question bothering him most at the moment.

"…did he mean _Nakamouri_ Aoko, daughter of the head of the Kaitou KID taskforce?"

Kazuha blinked in surprise as well.

Well _that_ was irony.

* * *

_((Ending Notes: Ack! I'm really sorry for being so late! Don't hurt me!! –hides behind something- I had the chapter written but I wanted to edit it but I didn't know what to edit and then I'd get confused and… please put away the pitch forks? -.-;;_

_-Muse-chan hiding behind a pot pie container.))_


	6. Task: Move

_((A/N: Next chappy! Yay! I think this one turned out a little awkward, but that's what I get for CGing while writing… -.-;; lol._

_SHAMELESS ADVERTISING! You __**know**__ you want to check out our deviantART account… X3 (link on profile)_

_Have a wonderful day!_

_Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Move_

Shinichi hardly registered it when his cell rang. He'd just managed to escape going home _and_ make sure Ran got home safely(hardly an easy task) and was currently reinvestigating the crime scene when the ring tone broke the silence.

It was 'Shinichi's' cell that was ringing.

At first he thought it was probably Ran needing some moral support after everything that happened but he was surprised to hear Hattori Heiji's voice instead.

"Kudou! What _happened_ at that heist?! KID was just here and—"

Conan stopped him there, dropping his bowtie in shock, "_KID_ was there?! In _Osaka_?"

He could practically hear Heiji's exasperation, "I wouldn't say so otherwise!"

"But what was he—?"

"That's what I'm asking you for!" Heiji cut him off, "I know you went to the heist, what happened?!"

Conan paused for only a second before answering, "…Nakamouri Aoko was murdered."

There was complete silence on the other line.

Finally Heiji spoke, "So he _did_ mean Nakamouri Aoko…"

Conan furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

"He said he wouldn't let her die."

'_What is KID trying to do?!_'

--

It registered to Kaito that what he was getting into was much bigger than he was.

A taste of '_True Pain_' had been more than enough to tell him that Kuroba Kaito could easily be crushed under the pressure.

He was mixing things up.

It took a little bit of prepping for him to even _think_ about trying to find 'Pain' again. He understood why Akako had been so vague with its description.

There really wasn't a way to start describing it properly.

"_Aoko… who is that?"_

Kaito clenched his fists and he grinned.

He was Kaitou KID.

Nothing could or would stop him. He would find as much 'Pain' as necessary.

"_Kuroba-kun… one more thing…"_

KID jumped off the building he had been standing on, already feeling the tug of 'Pain'. Now that he knew what he was looking for he had to wonder how normal people _didn't_ notice it… he could feel it from miles away.

"…_Pain has been known to cause some form of insanity if you live through it… if you give in to this insanity you'll more than 'want' Pain…"_

KID felt a tug, a light one; it was almost like a voice. He knew he was close to the next 'Pain'.

"…_it'll control you."_

Pain was addicting. Kaito had realized this soon after leaving. It was the most agonizing thing he'd ever experienced but at the same time… there was an _allure_ to it.

And he knew he'd already had enough that it was possible to forget his goal.

Possible to only seek for the 'Pain'. Like a drug.

_Possible_; yes. Kaito was fully aware that a person can become addicted very quickly. KID tightened his grin has he headed to the next location.

It was _possible_.

But Aoko meant more than that.

"…_just don't forget your goal… if you want this enough…"_

Kaitou KID was capable of the impossible.

Poker face was perfect.

Kaitou KID would _never_ give up.

Kaito would _never_ give up.

So what if it was bigger than him? If there was one thing Kaito knew how to do it was _bluff_.

He'd hold all the cards, no matter what.

--

There was a point in time where one must take some form of action.

Saguru figured that point had long since past. They were now in the hole and buried a little. They needed to start digging themselves out.

It had been four hours since Nakamouri Aoko was murdered and the police had decided to call it a night as there were no clues or information to go off of other than that she died.

They couldn't even examine the corpse!

Saguru flinched slightly at the idea of referring to Nakamouri-chan as a corpse.

The only people left were a few straggling bits of the KID task force, Nakamouri-keibu, and Conan.

"KID was there?! In _Osaka_?!"

Saguru had walked over just in time to hear Conan's startled whisper. The person on the other line replied and Saguru could guess the answer from the look on Conan's face.

He could safely guess the one on the other line was Hattori Heiji, being not only one of Conan's friends but also living in Osaka made the likeliness sky-rocket.

It was somewhere in these spiraling thoughts that Saguru affirmed with himself the only thing he could do next.

He couldn't find the murderer…

…but he _could_ find Kaitou KID.

When Conan hung up the phone he was startled to find Hakuba Saguru behind him with a determined expression.

"…Hakuba-niisan?"

Saguru spared Conan a glance, pondering his next words for a moment.

"I'm going to find KID."

It _felt_ like the right decision. Saguru wasn't normally the type to follow something just because it 'felt' right but tonight…

…tonight it had been the only thing that hadn't felt horribly wrong.

Conan's overly huge irises widened when Saguru said it.

"Wha—…"

Saguru let out a deep breath.

"Both Nakamouri-chan and Kuroba wer—_are_ my friends." He was hardly talking to Conan anymore, he just needed to _say_ it; make it realer than just a passing thought. "I need to make sure the moron doesn't do anything stupid."

Conan knew better than to interrupt him here, even though the detective _seemed_ finished.

"He's too stubborn for his own good; if he sets his mind to something he _does_ it without another thought. He'll risk everything for a whim."

This did not surprise Shinichi, he'd already realized this much about the thief.

"…but Kuroba never bets on something he doesn't believe possible." Hakuba glared ahead fiercely, "…I realize he might not be the smartest or sanest man at the moment… but…"

Shinichi knew now that Hakuba had definitely heard Hattori's words.

"_Someone he won't let die."_

"How do we find him?" Shinichi knew it was a little harsh to ask, Hakuba was fired up and ready for action; pointing out the impossibility of being able to find KID was a low blow, but it was necessary. If they didn't think logically they'd _never_ find him.

Surprisingly Saguru did not seem deterred in the least.

"I have a hunch."

--

It was unnerving being alone.

Ran fidgeted uncomfortably.

Her father would be home in roughly an hour(he still had some business at the police station) and Conan was spending the night at Agasa's(his excuse to continue investigating).

And she was alone.

She felt numb and slightly callous. She was _used_ to seeing people dead, _dying_.

It hit her harshly when she'd been there. She was used to people standing back, gasping in shock and the occasional person actually _happy_ about the death. Sure there were the times when someone actually cared enough to scream or cry but…

…Ran had felt a chill when it had felt _unnatural_ for someone to be so _upset_…

She wasn't _used_ to seeing such emotion and pain at a murder scene. She reasoned that it was probably due to the last few murders she'd seen recently; all of them had been cold blooded and there had been no regrets.

But _still_...

She shivered when she thought about the desperate hopelessness on the thieves face when he surveyed the crowd. She pulled her sheets tighter when she saw the father break on the inside, trying despite logic to keep his daughter alive.

And she'd felt so callous comparably.

When had she become so used to someone dropping dead in her proximity?

No, she clenched her eyes shut and fought nausea; not 'used to'… _never_ 'used to'…

…seeing someone die is something you can never be 'used to'.

Ran shook her head, she couldn't sleep. She'd been trying for hours but…

'_I wish Conan-kun were here…_'

Then she would have _company_.

She couldn't take being alone right now.

But who could she be with? It was too late at night to just call…

Somewhere else in the house she heard a creaking noise.

She bit her lip and threw away the rest of her doubts; she needed to be with someone. Picking up her cell she dialed the number she'd had memorized for years…

…one ring…

She felt goosebumps grow on her arms.

…two rings…

Her eyes bristled with unshed tears, what would she do if no one answered? She didn't have the courage to call twice.

…three ri—

"Moshi moshi?" a groggy voice asked and Ran immediately felt guilty.

"Sonoko-chan? Did I w-wake you?" Ran felt pathetic when she heard her voice crack, she hardly knew why she was crying!

"Nah! I'm joking with you!" despite what many might say Sonoko was a smart girl and if there was thing she knew a lot about it was her best friend.

She couldn't ask what was wrong yet, Ran sounded guilty for calling so late.

Sonoko had to pretend she hadn't been woken up.

Luckily the girl was very good at switching to a fully awake voice; she had plenty of practice from when Makoto would call at inopportune times(she _never_ passed up a chance to talk to Makoto).

It didn't take long for Sonoko to get the story out of Ran, or at least most of it, the Suzuki knew that Ran was leaving things out.

She wasn't the deduction queen for nothing!

(cough)

She'd have to talk face to face.

"Ran… would you like me to come over?"

Ran immediately burst with 'you don't have to' and 'I wouldn't want to bother you' and other equally annoying statements. Sonoko sighed.

"Fine, but you have to come here!"

"But—!"

"No buts! That's an order!"

Not many could deny Suzuki Sonoko when she put her mind to something and Ran was no exception to the rule.

--

Kaitou KID stared irately at the park.

Pain was definitely here.

Belatedly he noted that the travel time meshed in his mind, he wasn't sure how far he had gone… he knew how much time he had left…

'_Sixty-nine hours…_'

But where had he gone? How far had he traveled this time? He'd hardly noticed going to Osaka for the first one…

…was he even still in Osaka?

It didn't matter.

'_After this one there's only two to find…_'

* * *

_((Ending Notes: Ack, another sorta boring chappy -.-' gomen! I hope you all liked it regardless :)_

_Oh yeah! I'm currently writing a Kazuha centric comedy :3 would anyone be interested in reading? X3 KID plays a big part!_

_PS: There are some things that are plot holes, I'm sure, so if you spot one __**please inform me so that I can correct it**__. I'm a big fan of constructive crit :3_

_-Muse-chan contemplating updating her Princess Tutu(great anime, ignore the title) fics.))_


	7. Task: Reaper

_((A/N: Hiya! Long time no post! -.-;_

_BTW if you're looking for comedy read my drabble fic! XD 'Shackled To Drabble' lol. SHAMELESS ADVERTISING._

_Have a wonderful day!_

_-Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Death_

There was something about this group that seemed to simply _adore_ sticking its nose into danger.

Ai was highly inclined to believe it was Kudo's influence.

Twelve thirty in the morning and these kids wanted to investigate a haunted house.

'_**Most**__ seven year olds don't have this sort of stamina._'

She blamed it on Kudo's influence once more; she was pretty sure if they'd never met the bespectacled shrunken detective they would not be used to late night adventures.

Ai sighed; it was no use attempting to talk them out of it so the least she could do was come with so they didn't land themselves into _too_ much trouble.

"Isn't that Ran-neechan?"

Ran didn't notice the kids as she got in the taxi; in fact it took her a few city blocks before she took notice of the Shonen Tantei next to her.

Needless to say she let out a surprised yelp.

--

Hakuba Saguru was well known as a very precise young man, he was someone that wasn't known to accept the illogical easily.

Koizumi Akako never made it easy.

It had only taken a few weeks of attending Ekoda High before Saguru was assured that Akako was not normal…

…incredibly attractive and charming, but less than normal.

He'd admit if he had the time of day he'd likely be one of her many admirers but as it was he knew better than to attempt to get her attention, he spent so much time overseas that it would never work.

So instead of spending time working out ways to grasp her interest he was left with just observing from afar.

As it would turn out this was exactly what was needed to realize two things.

She knew Kuroba was KID.

She had her _own_ secrets.

Of course, being as entranced with her as he was the first thing he'd noted hadn't been this but instead '_What the hell does she see in Kuroba?!_'

It hadn't taken him too long to realize she had an abnormal charm to her after he started paying enough attention.

There was a limit to how much a cute girl _should_ be able to enchant the male populace.

The mere fact that despite all she'd done to control the males around her should have had her at least disliked by the female regime…

It wasn't so.

The boys loved her and the girls _admired_ her.

In fact, the only one who _didn't_ seem effected by her bewitching nature was Kuroba.

Saguru was never one to be satisfied with unanswered questions but the one and only time he'd questioned Kuroba about it the other student had shot him a pitying and amused look while shaking his head.

"_You don't want know."_

And Saguru had decided he really didn't want to get involved.

But he was left with the impression that Koizumi Akako was not a force to be trifled with(this was solidified with his suspicion that Kuroba had, of course, already done some trifling).

So now the detective was left staring at his cell phone.

Conan looked up from his map to see that Hakuba had yet to put the device into use.

"Either call them or not, we don't have time for you to spend forever in indecision." The two were headed to Osaka where they planned to meet up with Heiji(Saguru hadn't been to happy about that) and Hakuba had spent the entire time staring at his phone like it was threatening him.

Conan wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused.

Hakuba sighed and sunk in his seat, and of course taking mental note that the train seemed to have sped up a little a moment ago, before tossing Conan a indecisive glance.

"To gamble or to play it safe?"

Conan furrowed his brows, "Aren't we already gambling?"

Habuba pressed the call button.

--

Kaito was frozen.

It was unlike the hyperactive boy to hesitate even more so for the confident thief, but regardless of his character he was left motionless just outside the shed.

There was something _more_ than 'Pain' in there.

He knew he could run now, he wouldn't have to face… whatever it was. There was other 'Pain'; he didn't _need_ to find one that had such a… force?

What _was_ it?

"_Sixty-nine hours…"_

He didn't have time to dawdle.

Kaito moved his hand to open the sliding door, the _thing_ on the other side was waiting patiently, Kaito was sure, so he would need to make an entrance.

Kaitou KID never disappoints.

A shiver went down his spine when he touched the doors handle. There were some things the thief would preferred not to mess with and he was quite sure whatever was on the other side of the door was not only one of them but definitely in the higher ranks.

KID opened the door.

_Visibly_ there was no one else there.

But Kaito knew there was someone standing only a few yards in front him.

He knew there was Pain in the room but where intimidated him farther than ever before was the presence of _whatever _it is was much, much stronger.

Considering Pain was the absolute most incredible(in a painful way) thing he had ever experienced…

"…_you must meet Death twice…"_

Kaito involuntarily shivered.

The air in front of him _shimmered_.

"_Kaitou KID…"_

The voice jolted Kaito straight and he automatically set poker-face. There was still no one in front of him…

…except for a floating candle.

"…_what are you doing here?"_

Kaito hadn't expected that question, he'd expected a lot of things to come from this conversation(most involving his untimely demise) but he hadn't anticipated such a seemingly simple question.

'_It's not simple…_'

The first time he'd opened his mouth to reply his voice had frozen and he realized he was too terrified to speak.

Kaito didn't let fear stop him the second time.

"To find 'True Pain'."

A harsh wind blew from behind him and he had to fight not to stumble.

Kaito couldn't begin to read what _it_ was thinking.

"…_very well…"_

The candle flickered.

And Kaito felt fear; pure undiluted fear.

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, his muscles itched to move and a strange voice screamed at him to run… and he knew it wasn't just to escape possible death.

Whoever this _thing_ was, it certainly knew better ways of punishment than simple death.

'_Run…!_'

Kaito didn't dare twitch; it could provoke what was in front of him.

He was terrified.

He saw another shimmer and he immediately wondered what his last regrets would be, after all with such a powerful force as his opponent he didn't stand a chance.

It was over.

Kaito's fingers shook.

'…_Aoko…_'

His eyes snapped open and he jumped back, the ground he had been on left in shambles.

The candle flickered again and Kaito felt the fear all over again… but…

Kaitou KID pasted on his trademark smirk.

* * *

_((Ending Notes: I know, it's shorter than usual, but finals are coming up -.-;;_

_I really hope you liked it! I, once again, was rather nervous about this chapter -.-'_

_Oh! And once again, if you spot any plot holes please point them out to me!_

_Thank you very much for reading!_

_-Muse-chan __**should**__ be working on her research paper.))_


	8. Task: Attack

_((A/N: ALright, before you shove pitchforks at me for the horribly late update, remember that I'm already beating myself up a lot -.-' I feel horrible for taking so long to update..._

_I really hope you guys like the chapter! Also I might be posting some K:STD fanart on my dA account soon! :3_

_Oh! One more thing! Please read my collaborative fic with Hannah-kun! It's called 'Plunnie War Prompted Ficlets'! Me and Hannah-kun are working really hard on it so please read! :)_

_-Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Attack_

Somewhere along the way Kaito wondered how much mythology would or would not assist him. After all, myths had to be based off _something_.

If there was a myth that could help him at the moment, he was unfamiliar with it.

Still he wracked his brain for any information that might help his situation.

"_Never underestimate…"_

Kaito was quite sure that this wasn't part of the information Akako had first told him, but he remembered it as if it were.

"…_but never let yourself lose to fear."_

The candle was calm.

'_I'm here for Pain…_' it occurred to Kaito that he couldn't move his hand a second ago but now he managed a twitch.

The candle blew slightly in the wind.

'_I'm here for Pain and there is __**nothing**__ that can stop me from getting to it._'

Despite the fact that he couldn't see anyone there aside from the shimmering air, he felt as if someone nodded at him.

And he suddenly knew.

'_A Reaper…_'

Despite the shiver that ran down his spine at the thought he took a determined step forward.

'…_knows how to __**use**__ pain._' Another shiver shot down his spine and his eyes widened again when the candle violently flickered.

He wasn't prepared for Pain.

In a way he _knew_ it was 'Pain' but in another he wondered why it felt so _different_ from the other Pain he'd felt…

"_Pain is unpredictable."_

His flesh sizzled with ice before he felt all of his joints loosen…

…and then he felt his bones begin to _grind_ against each other.

He didn't know how long it did this before he began coughing up dust. He didn't want to know where the dust had come from.

All his thoughts had been lost.

--

Akako backed violently away from where she was observing the situation.

She couldn't keep a constant vigilance on it but she was aloud to peek in every so once in awhile.

Pain was _killing_ him and he'd forgotten to fight it.

"Damnit Kuroba!" Akako cursed violently and threw a random item off her work table.

He was lucky, the first time, to have someone drag him out of Pain but if he wanted to survive in the Minds…

'_You have to __**fight**__ pain… Kaito…!_' she knew she needed to calm down; she knew she couldn't let this bother her, but her energy crackled around her regardless.

'_You were brave enough to take on Pain in front of a __**Reaper**__… I didn't think you'd __**survive**__ to do even that! You can't die!_'

But she couldn't get involved.

'…_Pain kills, Kuroba, you can't die without fulfilling your goal…_' otherwise the contract would make it impossible for him to _really_ die.

Akako's phone rang and she considered not even picking it up.

"Koizumi residence, how may I help you?"

--

Writhing and screaming. The Pain never let up. It was endless; it was both physical and spiritual.

Another harsh squeeze to his center and he realized her could _feel_ his Core.

Akako hadn't explained much about a Core but he knew _enough_ about it to know that his _Core_ was being stroked.

He never knew you could invoke so much Pain by simply _stroking_ something…

'_What would happen if it changed from a stroke to an actually violent squeeze…?_'

He didn't think he could survive that.

He was drowning in the Pain, it was always new, and there was no getting used to it.

_The forest was dense and endless. The swamp like floor felt both nostalgic and mystical._

_She blinked vaguely and glanced up, the shackles that held her rattled slightly._

"_Kaitou… KID-san…?"_

Kaito's eyes snapped open and he gasped.

'_Aoko…!_'

It felt like he'd just drowned and was finally conscious again.

"Aoko!" Kaito slammed his hand down in front of him, using it to push himself up and thanking his luck for actually managing to hit the ground.

He wasn't sure where _anything_ was.

"I won't die without saving Aoko! I _refuse_!"

Kaito wondered how his words seemed to hold such power all of a sudden.

"_Words hold power, Kuroba-kun, __**wishes**__ hold power. __**Use**__ it."_

He was barely holding himself up and he was glaring like no tomorrow at the shimmering candle.

He was still in Pain.

…but he was standing…

He felt like a moron for not realizing it sooner.

"I won't let Pain control me! I will _not_ die yet!" he coughed up more dust after his proclamation.

There was a sharp stab as it felt as if someone had _stabbed_ his Core and the candle disappeared.

Kaito stumbled forward, fighting to remain conscious. He was on his hands and knees in seconds and reliving anything he might have eaten that day.

He couldn't… lose consciousness…

'_Not yet…!_'

'_I __**will**__ win in the end…!_'

The last remnants of Pain left his body and he went limp.

"_Sixty-four hours, Kuroba."_

--

"_Where's Kuroba?"_

_Hesitance._

"_He's dying."_

Saguru clenched his fists as he waited for the taxi to reach its next destination. Next to him Toyama Kazuha clung desperately to Conan as if he were a stuffed animal. Next to her, Heiji was glaring at them both.

He hadn't even wanted Kazuha to _come_ but she'd refused to be left alone and she insisted that she _needed_ to help them stop KID.

Somehow he got the feeling that she knew something she wasn't saying.

…not that he could blame her to much, it was hard to walk away after feeling something like _that_…

Heiji glanced at the ever tense Hakuba, Kudo had told him that the detective had been strung up ever since his phone call with a classmate.

A classmate that for some reason knew that Kaitou KID would be in Tokushima and that the boy was in a park shed.

The problem was she couldn't tell them _which_ park.

By this time it was beginning to feel helpless. It was already early morning and they'd been in so many parks that Heiji was beginning to wonder if the information was valid…

The taxi stopped and Saguru was out the door in seconds, Kazuha close behind. Heiji found himself for once being the slowest in the group.

The park was eerie and silent, but most of the ones they'd been to had been to that evening.

But Heiji recognized the air of the place easily.

It was the same air the dojo had held.

'_He's here…_'

Hakuba rushed towards the first entrance he saw and burst in.

The first thing Conan smelled was blood and dust.

Kazuha saw the limp body before anything else registered in her mind.

Kaitou KID was collapsed on the floor, completely motionless, hardly even _breathing_.

--

Unable to send the kids home, Ran had let them come with her to Sonoko's.

Sonoko, though not entirely happy with having a butch of brats running around her room, was tolerant and even allowed them to pick the movie(she just made sure it was of a selection of ones that _she_ wanted to see).

It was relaxing for Ran and she felt much better…

…but she still hadn't managed to get to sleep.

Everyone else was happily dozing after the second movie and she herself was very sleepy. But for whatever the reason, she wasn't able to sleep.

She reasoned that it was probably just all the shocks of the evening; her adrenaline was probably what caused her insomnia.

She only vaguely acknowledged it when Sonoko got up to go bathroom.

'_Maybe I myself should get a cup of water…_' Ran turned over again and heard Sonoko enter the room again.

…and then she felt _it_…

Even in her groggy state Ran could easily feel blood lust. She was, after all, Kudo Shinichi's best friend _and_ a karate champ.

Ran sat up straight in bed and looked about for the cause; Sonoko gave her a quizzical look.

"Ran… what are yo—"

"Look out!" Ran yelled as she tackled Sonoko to the ground.

Sonoko didn't have a chance to ask anything this time, all she could do was stare at the new holes in her wall and hear the distinct _growling_ sound that seemed to be coming from something above them.

Ran didn't waste time in moving both her and Sonoko to a new position before the second attack came. She couldn't _see_ what attacked Sonoko but she knew if those claws had ripped through her…

…how did she know they were claws?

The Shonen Tantei had woken up after Ran's first alarmed scream. Mitsuhiko, Ayumi and Genta had automatically backed away.

They couldn't see it, but they _could_ see the shimmering air.

Ai had remained frozen.

"Move away Ai-chan!"

There wasn't a chance to tell who had screamed. The eight year old girl had been slammed into a wall before anyone else could react.

"_Ai_!"

Ai slid to the ground, mostly unconscious and quite sure she had a concussion.

And she was given a clear view of what attacked them, what was still attacking the others.

'_It's aiming for Suzuki-san…_' she realized.

'_Mouri is getting hurt trying to protect her…they're both bleeding… were they cut…? Ah, the glass shards from the window…_' Ai's eyes flitted to Ayumi's worried ones and she managed a mirthless smile, '_Ayumi-tachi…_'

"…run…"

And Shiho lost consciousness.

* * *

_((Ending Notes: Okay... sorta nervous(again), I really hope you guys liked it and I'm really very sorry for being so late! I swear on my plunnie socks(don't ask) that I'll update it again before another month has passed!_

_Also, some shameless advertising... please read ami-chan- the frenchie's fics! She's a very talented author and has an adorable writing style! :3_

_-Muse-chan working on updating her fics.))_


	9. Task: Three

_((A/N: Is it just me, or am I **always** nervous about new chappys?_

_-.-;; heh... Told ya guys I'd get the next chappy out this month! Lol, I just... took my sweet time writing it. I really hope you guys like it! And I'm really sorry it took so long!!_

_Muse-chan out!__))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Three_

It was funny how fate worked it's tendrils around the living.

Akako had to find it mildly entertaining to watch.

It was a rare time, however, that Akako spent enough thought on her own actions to notice fates manipulation. Perhaps it was because the entire situation was so risqué.

But it was still interesting that Hakuba Saguru had called when he did, only two hours later and Kaito's blood seal would have faded entirely.

As it was there had been the barest remains to the seal when the British detective had called, making for a uniquely interesting result.

Hakuba had involved himself in Kaito and her contract.

She felt bad, in a way, she hadn't told him that becoming involved with a contract put his name on the List…

--

Running for your life had never been widely known as a 'pleasant' thing, but in Ran's opinion at the moment it was _much_ worse than usual.

She had cuts everywhere, the _thing_ had broken a window and the pieces had impeded themselves in both her and her limping best friend; Sonoko had long since sprained her ankle.

_Badly_.

Ran had been hard pressed to ask Sonoko to run in her condition but surprisingly enough, despite her usual whiny cry, Sonoko was the first one on her feet.

The Shonen Tantei were keeping up easily enough but Mitsuhiko and Genta had to stop Ayumi from running back when they realized Ai wasn't there.

Mitsuhiko had reasoned that the invisible monster was chasing _them_, meaning it couldn't be with Ai. He'd looked like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

Ran clenched her eyes shut and prayed that Ai was safe right before a 'claw' struck out of nowhere and nearly impaled her and Sonoko.

With wide eyes Ran realized that she was reminded of the missing murderer and murder weapon from earlier in the evening(or early morning).

The sun had started to rise.

And suddenly Ran didn't recognize their surroundings anymore.

--

Kaito blinked dazedly and thought about sitting up.

He decided against it when he noted that he felt like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks.

Where was he?

"He's awake."

It was a familiar voice but not familiar enough for him to trace the owner at the moment.

"He seems dazed…"

"Well he _did_ almost die."

'_Almost die…?_'

"_Sixty hours."_

Kaito jolted up without warning. The people surrounding him jumped back, startled.

"What time is it?!"

It was so urgent sounding that Kazuha instinctively answered after glancing at Conan's watch.

"Eight-forty."

Kaito hissed a few curses and moved to get all the way out of bed before two sets of hands pushed him down.

Kazuha and Saguru both glared at him, daring him to try sitting up again.

Kaito ignored their concern, "I have to _go_! I only have sixty hours left until—" Kaito didn't seem to be able to finish the sentence, whether it was because of emotional drain or physical, no could say because Kaito chose that moment to puke over the side of the bed.

"Damnit…" he wiped the acids of his lips with disdain, "I have to _go_."

"_Where_?!" Hakuba was glaring him down with a vengeance.

The phantom thief shot him a sharp glare, "I'm getting Aoko back."

It was pure insanity.

There was no other explanation for it; the boy had obviously gone into such a deep rooted denial of his friend's death that he had begun to convince himself that it could be remedied.

So why, despite the fact that all three detectives in the room knew this, did they believe without a doubt that KID would pull it off?

It was maddening, Conan decided, maddening and entirely contagious.

They didn't have time to hold Kaito back any longer; the magician had used their contemplative silence to stumble out of bed.

Kazuha, however, had plenty of time. She was the first one to chase the thief out the door. Conan made short order of following her. It was amazing that even in his state, he'd managed to find where they his hat and monocle and was already pursed to make his escape complete. But Kazuha was fast and she could take him down if she got the mere advantage of a hardly decent grip. The question was _would_ she stop him?

"You almost died." She was speaking frankly.

Conan stopped behind her, somehow hesitating to speak.

Somehow the detective couldn't shake off the feeling…

"_You shouldn't get involved…"_

"I know." His reply was serious but bland at the same time.

"If it continues like this, you _will_ die." She clenched her fists.

"Undoubtedly." He wasn't at all delusional about what would happen if he made even a single mistake.

"You were hardly _breathing_ when we found you."

KID sighed, "Thank the shrimp for me later for the CPR."

Conan only felt mildly miffed that KID didn't seem to even notice his presence.

Kazuha wasn't quite sure she wanted to know how KID knew it had been Conan-kun.

And KID vanished just as the others made it outside.

--

_He was all grins and laughter._

_He helped her in so many ways._

Chains rattled.

_Best friend. Childhood friend._

_Does that cover it all?_

No pain, nothing but dead.

_Love? Family love of course… there was no way…_

…_who was there? There was no one a moment ago…_

Nostalgic sent.

"_Kaitou… KID-san…"_

--

Akako didn't sleep that night.

There were many reasons for it but the primary reason was that she was currently in Contract with someone… three people now.

'Contract' doesn't make sleep easy.

"Your tea, Mistress."

Akako nodded in acknowledgement as her manservant placed the platter on her table. The hideous man left and she was left to her thoughts.

The fireplace in front of her flared ominously.

She lamented that she should have kept a closer watch on the premises.

"_Why are you getting involved?_"

Akako resisted a shiver; she should be used to inhuman voices by now. But it was like her manservant's appearance; she could never quite get herself to fully accept it.

"My business is my own." She sounded imperious, she was good at that. She may have been unaccustomed to the voice but she _was_ well accustomed to the presence of _power_.

And her visitor was radiating it.

She vaguely noted that it must be possessing something to have gotten within her house unnoticed. Probably a stray cat, that was most common.

"_You know this isn't your business._"

Akako's eyes narrowed, she would be involved with what she _chose_ to be involved with. It didn't matter if it was her business or not.

"And how is it yours?"

The power in the air thickened and Akako _almost_ shivered.

"_Blood is __**needed**__._"

Akako whirled about in her chair and gasped at who she saw.

"Momoi…!"

--

Kyougoku Makoto liked visiting his friend and hopeful love-interest Suzuki Sonoko quite a bit when he got the chance.

The way her face radiated happiness at the sight of him was well worth the complications it caused in his schedule.

So when he arrived to find police cars and an ambulance inside the Suzuki's now _destroyed_ gate, he was more than a little disturbed.

What disturbed him even worse was when he found out that Suzuki Sonoko was missing, but she was obviously attacked judging by the state of her bedroom. The only one they found was one young Haibara Ai, who had yet to regain consciousness.

It was pure coincidence that she woke up during one of the times he went to check to see if she could tell them what happened yet.

But his blood ran cold when the girl grabbed his sleeve and glared with nearly unseeing icy and terrified eyes.

"We need to find them, _now_."

He didn't need to hear more, her raspy voice was enough that he was going to get the police… she didn't let go of his sleeve however.

"It's going to _bleed_ them."

* * *

_((Ending Notes: -paces nervously- So? What do ya guys think? Good? Bad? Getting out your flame thrower?_

_x3 I worked really hard on this chapter but I think it ended up kinda bland._

_Oh! And some sorta-bad but sorta-good news! Bad news: I won't be able to update for the entirety of August. Good news?_

_I'll be spending that time working on graphic novels and doujinshi's 3 meaning by the end of the month I'll have some doujin's for ya all!_

_-Muse-chan rushing out the door for Tae Kwon Do.))_


	10. Task: Get Up

_((A/N: Geh... I know I always say I hate how the chappy's turned out but I think this ones prolly a whole new low T_T stupid writers block!_

_Thank you to everyone who is still reading despite my idiotically complicated life!! :3 I love reading your reviews and I wish I had more time to reply -.-;; also thank you to everyone who comforted me after the fire, you have no idea how much that helped :) I don't think I would have had the courage to re-write this chapter or anything else that burned without all your encouragement._

_-Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Get Up_

It was quite some time before Akako found it in herself to stand. Under normal circumstances, she wasn't sure she would have been able to stand at all but blood was matting her normally _perfect_ hair; it was just disturbing enough to make the sorceress force herself to her feet. She needed to bathe at very least.

She noted that she would have to reward her manservant later. If he hadn't pushed her out of the way at that moment she would have been hit straight on by the likely fatal blow the demon had thrown at her.

Not that she wouldn't have survived it; she was much tougher than your average human, but she wouldn't have made it out with so little injuries nor would she have been able to banish the demon from her premises.

After that it was all she could do to keep her Contract with the pathetic mortals. In all honesty, she was lucky she was able to; if she hadn't been able to the conducted energy would have killed her on the spot.

'_All because of a moment of surprise…_' she scoffed, somehow feeling miffed that she had been so surprised.

But she had honestly expected a random animal the demon had run across on the way there or something.

Not a human girl that she _knew_.

It _meant_ something when demons picked people that you _know_. Even at the most coincidental times, the likeliness that they didn't have an alternative motive for choosing Momoi Keiko was so small as to be ridiculous.

There was no reason for them to go through all the trouble of getting one of Akako's classmates other than a darker motive.

_That_ was what shocked her so much. It meant that Akako was somehow involved in their plots.

'_Or someone else…_'

Akako's eyes widened, '_Kuroba!_'

'…_but that doesn't make sense… he's the wild-card, I made __**sure**__ of that._'

"_Where's KID?"_

Her eyes widened again and her heart dropped.

This wasn't good.

---

There were many ways that Kid enjoyed landing.

Crashing into a tree was not one of them.

But he found it was rather hard to concentrate at the moment. 'Pain' alone usually made it rather hard to think straight on its own, but with something raiding his mind…

He couldn't tell where the trouble was. Not at all. But he did know that despite Pain being _so close_, he did _not_ want to face whatever it was while weakened by Pain…

"_You think Pain is a __**weakness**__?"_ it sounded like it was laughing, _"Far too young, aren't you?"_

His stomach wasn't reacting well to the words. Something about the voice made him downright queasy…

…and oddly suicidal.

Kaito shook off the thought; the voice was driving him crazy.

"_It's __**trying**__ to."_

It somehow felt rather shocking to realize.

It felt even more shocking to realize that his last thought had sounded like Koizumi somehow.

"_It won't leave unless you force it."_

The laughing was back.

He couldn't hear laughing but he could _feel_ it. He was suddenly very grateful that he was currently on the ground, he wasn't sure he could fly straight with how it jolted up and down his spine.

'_It'd be easier to die than chase her to hell to bring her back._'

That _wasn't_ his thought.

It _wasn't_. It _sounded_ like him(he didn't know why), but it _wasn't_.

It _couldn't_ be.

'_This is pointless._'

It sounded so _foreign_… so _weird_…

"Who are you?"

'_Talking to myself won't help. I'm going insane._'

Kid's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Who. Are. You."

It wasn't a request, it was a demand.

The laughing aura was back, but the presence in the back of his mind had yet to fade.

'_This is stupid. People die all the time, just because Aok—_'

"_It's a parasite."_

Something in Kaito's mind _snapped_.

And with a sharp, precise glare, he spoke.

"Go. _Now_."

His tone was icy and held back no hatred. Each syllable felt like it was bathed in a cold loathing.

He felt like something was _ripped_ from him before the _thing_ retreated.

It apparently knew when it wasn't wanted, just didn't like taking a hint.

It took some time before Kaito managed to calm down enough to seek out Pain. The searing cold hatred seemed to block every other sense in his body.

'…_that thing knows how to piss someone off._'

---

It seemed more than a little pathetic that Kid had slipped through their fingers so easily. He was heavily wounded, internally bleeding and more than a little insane yet he somehow managed to escape _three_ very talented detectives and one aikido champ.

It left a certain amount of distaste in the air.

But not something they spent much time meditating on; it was after all _Kaitou KID_, it was almost _expected_ that he'd escape.

Still, one Hattori Heiji was rather grumpy as he waited for Hakuba to reach his 'source'. How anyone would know where and how to find KID was beyond him, but it had obviously worked once so thus far Hakuba's source seemed to be fairly accurate.

That wasn't what was upsetting Heiji the most though. There was a problem about when KID had escaped. He'd been _paralyzed_ with a crushing feeling. His skin crawled and ever bone in his body had screamed for him to run and hide.

Whatever KID had said, no matter how ludicrous, had sounded like the _truth_, so painfully truthful that he felt as if he were being slammed against an aftershock of something… painful…?

Whatever it was, Heiji didn't like it.

"_This is a tragedy…"_

"…_and you will all die."_

Another shiver ran through Heiji. He didn't like this.

"Are you okay, Heiji?" Kazuha asked from her position next to him. She'd been spending most of her time watching Hakuba try to get reception.

Heiji groaned, "I'm chasing around a phantom thief that is trying to raise the dead, how do you _think_ I'm feeling?" Heiji made a sound of discontent, "I didn't get any sleep last night either…"

He didn't want to say what he felt out loud. It would be like admitting it was real… and somehow that was the most terrifying part.

"Ahou! Don't be so selfish!"

"Ahou—"

This was the point in the conversation that Conan wisely decided to tune them out. It was a well known fact that your sanity would suffer a mortal damage by trying to follow their logic.

With a sigh, the detective gone child glanced at the increasingly frustrated British detective. From the looks of it 'Koizumi-kun' wasn't answering the phone.

Conan averted his gaze else where. Something was prickling his senses; it had been for some time now. Something felt _off_…

'…_that's odd…_'

The miniature detective slid to his feet. The park they were at was simple, just some swing sets and a jungle gym. Nothing too complicated…

'…_I could have sworn there was only four swings when we got here._'

With as much trouble he got himself into, Conan _always_ made sure to observe his surroundings accurately. There were few accounts where he had been wrong.

Conan's eyes widened, '_No way…?!_'

"Hattori."

Heiji snapped to attention, the tone of Conan's voice pushing away all other thoughts. Kneeling next to the kid, Heiji attempted to find what Conan was staring so seriously at.

"Hm?"

"Isn't there something odd about that playground…?"

It didn't take Heiji long to find out what.

"But how…?"

Conan shook his head, "I'm not sure… but there are other weird things too."

It hadn't occurred to Heiji how eerily quiet it was. It was nine thirty on a Monday.

There should be more noise.

But there was hardly even the sound of a passing car.

A sound form behind them made them look towards Hakuba, who had apparently _finally_ gotten in contact with the mysterious 'Koizumi-kun'.

"Koizu—what?"

The panicked sound in Hakuba's tone attracted even more attention from the detectives, not to mention the lone girl in the group.

Hakuba looked pale, his eyes were wide and he seemed startled.

"What do you mean…?!" Hakuba paused again and observed their surroundings, his own eyes widened, "Shimatta!"

"_You need to get out of there Hakuba, __**now**__. You haven't gotten there __**yet**__ but if you don't do something soon, you and your companions are going to be dragged into a 'limbo'._"

"_A_ limbo?"

Akako let out an irate sigh.

"_I don't have time to explain everything to you! Just listen to what I have to say if you want to live!_"

Saguru made a sound of mild irritation before nodding pointlessly, "Fine, tell me what to do."

Akako's next words unnerved him to no end.

Saguru nodded before sighing, he could feel both Conan and Heiji's piercing looks; how was he going to explain that they almost weren't currently in _their_ dimension? Or at least, if they didn't act soon, they wouldn't be in their dimension much longer if they didn't act quickly?

---

'_Kuso… it's not the right time…_'

It wasn't _right_ that they were being dragged _there_.

It didn't make _sense_ for them to be dragged there.

Not yet at least, not when their location was currently unknown.

Akako leaned back as she relayed instructions to the skeptical detective.

'_Is there a third party…?_'

* * *

_((Ending Notes: Like? Hate? Flamingly horribly? Deliciously wonderful? T.T I'm kinda scared to upload this because it feels like a lot of the facts are a lil messy. I hope you all liked it!!_

_Also, lookie what YoshimiKurosaki made me! http : // yoshimikurosaki . deviantart . com/art/Steal-The-Dead-108871607 (remove the spaces to look at it) it is so awesome!! x3 (one of the reasons I felt like writing again!)_

_Thank you very much for reading!_

_-Muse-chan feeling bad about not updating for so long.))_


	11. Task: Youkai

_((A/N:This chappy is dedicated to _Faded_shadow_ because she bribed me with fanart xDDD lol_

_This chappy MIGHT have some errors 'cause I wrote it in a rush but I hope ya'll like it anyway!_

_Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Task: Youkai_

Logic would have long since reprimanded him that this was a _bad_ idea. Logic would have pointed out that the police would not be very happy if he ran away with their precious witness.

Logic would have told him that she was probably delirious from the mental and physical strain of the attack.

Three things were what stopped him from hailing to logic; 'it', 'bleed' and the look on her face.

It wasn't the look of a delirious and terrified girl. Honestly he didn't think such an expression belonged on such a young face, but it was desperate, strong and pulling.

'It' wasn't a very comforting word either. It wasn't 'he', 'she', or 'they', just an ominous 'it'.

'It' was generally reserved for the indescribable.

Not comforting at all. Especially not with how _calculating_ the girl looked. She didn't _look_ like she would resort to using 'it' easily.

It didn't help that he had some particularly special feelings for one of the people she had been referring to when she said 'bleed'.

She didn't say 'kill'. Just 'bleed'.

That disturbed him more than anything else.

So, despite his better judgment and all the logic he had, here he was giving a piggy-back to one Haibara Ai as they retreated the premises and chased the path of destruction only she seemed to be able to see.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?"

Ai didn't even spare a withering glare as she attempted to keep him from noticing her bleeding. There was no way he would continue to help her if he knew her full condition.

"Positive." She grunted in reply.

'_I wouldn't risk their lives on a hunch._'

"_Wake up; I need you to find them. You need to stop __**it**__."_

"_Eh…?"_

"_If you want to save them you need to make contract with me."_

"_Contract?"_

"_Decide now or I'll leave you to die."_

---

The best and easiest way to describe it was a swamp like forest, with the occasional jungle like feature.

It was unlike anything Sonoko had ever seen before.

And in a very pulling sense, it was _attractive_, almost _nostalgic_.

It was very hard to think in it and there was little light. Most of the light seemed to come from faint glows of fireflies.

But they weren't fireflies. Sonoko knew that. They didn't look—didn't _feel_ like fireflies.

She decided she didn't want to know what they were.

Her surroundings were terrifying and at the same time _comfortable_.

It was practically maddening.

And the claw was back.

'_Why do I know it's a claw…?_'

It didn't matter, what mattered was that she'd tackled Ayumi out of the way of the attack.

She felt like she'd played into its hands though, because the air crackled with amusement.

Since when could she tell what emotion the _air_ had?

'_I don't like this place._'

"SONOKO! MOVE!"

'_I really don't like this place._'

Her blood was rushing like never before, adrenaline had long since taken hold along with _something_ else.

She hated it. Ever bit of her rejected it.

"_Sonoko-neechan_!"

Something big landed on top of her and dragged a few feet to the left. The shivering girl in her arms let out a slight whimper/sob.

It was about then that she realized that she was crying too.

Genta just stared at the gaping hole in the ground where they had just been. Neither girl would have survived if he hadn't of moved them.

It was coming at them again though.

'_I hate it here!_'

Mitsuhiko and Ran were pulling them to their feet while slightly dragging them.

"Hurry! We have to move!"

Ayumi barely managed to scramble to her feet in time to avoid the latest attack.

"_I wouldn't go there if I were you…"_

"_Deeper into the forest… they're never going to survive."_

"_They're walking into death."_

Ayumi shivered and closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the voices.

They were terrifying.

Tears streamed down her face and she barely managed to keep up with Genta as he pulled her along.

"_They're all going to bleed."_

---

It was hard to give into exhaustion when Pain was tingling at your senses.

No matter how many times you felt exhaustion take its hold on you, Pain always left a jolting sensation that would force all of your adrenalin to pulse. This was probably one of the things that made Pain addicting.

It wasn't that it was _pleasurable_ by any means, but it was certainly attracting. It had an allure like none other.

So it was really quite amazing that he'd managed to avoid an addiction thus fair. Due to constricting time restraints he'd had to take in quite a bit of Pain in a short period of time.

'Pain' in so many dosages in such a short time wouldn't leave him completely addicted though. But it could kill him; his senses could begin to dull due to the sheer _volume_ of it. If his senses dulled because of Pain the reaper would take him.

Body and all.

How did he know all this? He was almost positive Akako hadn't mentioned it in her fairly brief description of Pain.

But he knew it was true.

It was like someone was whispering in his ear…

"_I am…"_

Kid jolted, barely managing to avoid crashing his hang-glider.

His heart pounded.

That _wasn't_ Koizumi's voice.

He could feel it grin sadistically.

"_She did tell you that you'd attract… unwanted attention, remember?"_

And that was all Kid needed to hear to know that this… voice… didn't mean him good will.

---

_Nakamouri Ginzo took note that Hakuba had disappeared some time ago. Which in itself seemed a little odd considering how the detective tended to hound cases that fell his way, but Ginzo supposed that murder cases weren't his thing._

_A slight wind blew and Ginzo shivered slightly._

_It sure was chilly…_

_It was then that it occurred to him that he was inside and well away from any vents. There wasn't a logical reason for the wind…_

"…_tousan…"_

_A shiver shot up his spine and another gust of wind hit him._

"…_tousan…?"_

Nakamouri Ginzo awoke with a start, heart pounding and eyes wide.

Where…?

It took him sometime to realize he was home. They'd sent him home sometime in the early morning, before light.

Ginzo shivered, something was very wrong.

"_Tou…san…?"_

---

It wasn't without hesitance that Makoto continued to follow the little girls directions.

The farther they got, the more _terrified_ he became.

Makoto was not used to getting terrified. Even when something scared him he generally worked out of it with his courage.

This was… different.

It left his blood searing against the inside of his skin, almost like it was trying to _get out_.

If even his very _blood_ was trying to escape, it generally meant it wasn't very wise for him to continue.

What propelled him forward was a stronger fear.

"_It's going to __**bleed**__ them."_

He _needed_ to find Sonoko.

"Get out of the way!" the high pitched scream of the girl on his back pulled him out of his revere.

Makoto blinked, barely managing to avoid the attack.

"Who…"

The brown haired girl in front of him cocked a psychotic grin, "_You're helping the witch, aren't you?_"

Makoto took a startled step back at the voice.

That was _not_ human. He wasn't sure what it was but the layers and venom in the tone… he hadn't thought a voice like that was _possible_.

Ai shifted on his back, eyes widening when she saw the girl.

Makoto gulped, gaining some of his composure(though he was quite sure that his heart was about to pound out of his ribcage), "Haibara-san… do you know her?"

He couldn't believe his tone had become so dryly terrified.

He'd never heard his own voice sound so scared.

Ai shook her head, "Iie… demo…—" their conversation was cut short when the brown haired girl in front of them lunged at Makoto, who expertly evaded the butcher knife.

Still, it managed to graze his cheek.

'_When did she get a knife…?_'

"_I hope the witch warned you what happens when you open Contract._" Her grin grew and Makoto had to resist turning tail and running.

"Who are you?!"

She smiled predatorily and Makoto jumped back to avoid being skewered.

"_**Youkai**__._"

Ai's suddenly felt very cold.

"_If the youkai notice you, it's over."_

"_**Don't **__let them catch you."_

Makoto on the other hand was feeling rather panicked. He didn't doubt her words, not one bit.

That's what terrified him all the more.

'Youkai don't exist' logic would tell him.

'But there's a living breathing one right in front of me trying to kill me' he couldn't resist replying.

'She's probably just crazy' logic interjected.

Every bone in his body disagreed.

_Fear_ like this wasn't natural.

_Fear_ shouldn't inspire his body to convulse _painfully_.

It was like the girl was beating him with just her _aura_.

The puppet gave another wolfish smile before lunging again. Makoto was never more grateful for his martial arts training. He honestly didn't think he would've been able avoid her attacks at all without it.

She was fast. _Too_ fast.

"MOVE!"

Makoto didn't think, just moved out of the way.

He hadn't seen it. Not at all. He'd been watching the girl for movement, but he still should have seen… whatever it was.

The invisible claw that had left a crater in its wake moved. He wasn't sure how he knew it had, but he knew it.

The aura around the possessed girl crackled ominously and he knew it had come from her.

'_How…—?!_'

Ai wasn't paying much attention to the attacker anymore.

Their surroundings weren't familiar any more.

* * *

_((Ending Notes: Ya-ha~ new chappy done, workin' on the next one!! =3 love ya!_

_-Muse-chan dealing with new puppy.))  
_


	12. Task: Escape

_((A/N: Righteo! Finally updating! X33;; don't kill meh, I meant to do it sooner! I swear!_

_Gosh, every time I run into writers block I keep re-reading the reviews and getting inspired =3 you guys are amazing and supportive and I wuv chu!_

_Just wondering though, someone brought this up, do I use too many characters? X3; I have a hard time not using characters 'cause I seriously love the entire DC cast (I'm still trying to think of a way I can fit Eisuke even though I know it's already too much) I wanted to use Takagi and Satou too but I felt I was starting to get out right contrived as to how some of the characters got involved .;; so the question tis: have I already exceeded the character limit? Lol (be honest, I'm egotistic I can totally take a few blows)_

_Also, thanks to all who bother to correct meh mistakes! X3 gosh knows I don't notice them._

_Disclaimer: (whoot! I remembered!) I own an original graphic novel called Underdogs… but that has nothing to do with that, I do not own Detective Conan, Meitantei Konan, Case Closed, Magic Kaito, or any other name you can come up with for the series._

_Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Escape  
_

There's a strange thing about not noticing ones self, being completely unconscious of ones own existence.

What was even stranger was not knowing whether you still existed or not. Being able to question whether or not you existed but being unable to conjure the feeling of being.

…but one cannot let go of the question without losing their self.

* * *

_There are some things more important than death._

It was a hard concept to swallow for some and for others it was as easy as breathing. The sole difference lies in how much a person values their own life.

It's hard, some days, to think there are those that disregard the importance of their own continued existence completely, but other days it's difficult not to jump in front of the metaphorical bus.

Kazuha had a lot of difficulty swallowing KID's disinterest in his own life. Kazuha was a selfish girl by nature, she didn't care how or why but she wanted _everyone_ to live, herself included.

It wasn't so much that she would never sacrifice her life for someone, she'd always been a bit reckless, but she never embraced the idea of death. She didn't want it to happen. If she fell from the cliff she would _find__a__way_ to live through it.

Because what's the point of saving someone if you're only going to put them through the misery of dealing with the loss of a friend? She didn't like the idea of that at all.

Her insistence on ensuring the continued life of all was probably what pushed her on so fervently.

Kept her running.

She didn't know why but she had begun running before she even realized it. Fearful, forceful feet abusing the asphalt and abandoning the park before Hakuba ever even got reception.

There was something terrifying about staying still.

Noise assaulted her senses before she could understand the thought fully.

It felt like she'd only just entered the world again. Everything was normal, every sound was true…

She was alone.

Panic built and she whirled back to face the park, hoping to catch sight of any of her companions.

...she was alone. The park was empty, the world was different, the detectives were gone.

She made a mad dash back to her previous location, hoping desperately to catch sight of any of the people she wanted to see.

_Heiji…_

She didn't even notice that she ran through a mail box.

* * *

The body can function for a shockingly long time without a soul. It moves on auto-pilot, reciting the same words that it's used to saying, like a recording. It doesn't think or really act beyond what it already knows, muscle memory controls over it like an overlord.

But this can only last so long.

A _core_ needs the soul, the same that a body needs a _core_, it can only continue for so long before the functioning ceases and the body dies.

When all three are separated than it takes nothing short of a small miracle to resurrect what once was.

KID was good at miracles.

"_So__** you're **__the __witches __little__** pet**__._" The voice sparkled in the amusement that was usually brought about by the sight of something cute.

Kaito supposed that, with consideration to the perspective of a monster, it was probably adorable to see him struggling for his life and for hers.

Struggling and seeking the impossible.

Still, he remained hidden behind the trash bin; he'd spent the better part of fifteen precious minutes escaping from a _voice_ and he was a little disturbed when the _creature_ had resorted to meandering around the suburban area they'd ended up in, singing little comments about his situation with sickening mischief.

_It_ was dangerous. Not as dangerous as the _Reaper_ but certainly more blood-thirsty. It wanted to _play_ with him.

He felt like it would enjoy just _eating __him__ whole_.

'_When__ you__ said__ '__unwanted__ attention__' __I __was _thinking_ you __meant __something __along __the __lines__ of __a __physical __opponent__ that __I __could__ actually, __you __know, _do something about_!_'

Kaito tried very hard not to hold it against Koizumi for her vagueness, she didn't really have a choice in the matter, but when _something_ was lurking around the corner hoping to _eat__ him__ up_? It was a little hard.

The power of words had saved him from the parasite and even the _Reaper_ (he chose not to acknowledge the tantei's involvement in that survival, he'd really prefer to forget it) but he didn't think that would hold up against the _blood__ thirst_.

The _Reaper_ didn't care whether he lived or died, he wasn't even a _blip_ on the radar. It was as though his only opponent was his own crushing fear.

The _parasite_ just wanted to control him, it's only power _is_ words so defeat is only a matter of whoever's words are stronger.

_This_ could just dislodge its jaw and…

_Move_!

KID made a dive for his left, barely missing being a part of the now _missing__ trash __bin __and__ chunk __of __concrete__ below_. He didn't really want to think about what would have happened if he stayed there.

If there was a physical being to see Kaito was _sure_ he would have seen It lick It's lips playfully. It was enjoying the little _game_.

"_It__'__s__ nothing __personal; __I __just __don__'__t __care __for __the __witch __much. __She__'__s__… __agitating._"

_Don__'__t __talk __to __demons_.

Kaito never wanted to know so much trivia on dealing with the unknown, he was actually rather pleased with winging it and sticking to the _mostly_ normal.

KID grit his teeth, how do you deal with a creature that you can't touch, reason with, or avoid without wasting more time or getting eaten up.

* * *

Conan didn't care for Hakuba's brief explanation much but he was however willing to cooperate with whatever got himself and the others to safety. He _didn__'__t_ feel like this 'limbo' would be very safe in any way.

Heiji was a little less compliant. He never had liked listening to Hakuba and the entire situation was outright _creepy_.

It was like a nightmare.

Kazuha, despite her earlier enthusiasm, remained relatively uninterested and mindlessly compliant. But no one paid much attention to such small details.

"Who the hell _is_ this Koizumi anyway? Why the heck are we looking for a _rock_ when I _could__have__sworn_ our goal was finding KID?"

Hakuba bravely resisted rolling his eyes at the detective of the west; he never failed to prove his lack of understanding for a situation.

"Koizumi is a good friend of mine whom I trust and I would appreciate some faith in her requests." Perhaps a bit of a stretch but he was putting all his trust in her and she was a friend.

But even he had to admit it was a vague and weird request.

"_Find the rock that feels **real**."_

It didn't appeal much to his nature to follow such a seemingly random demand. He _liked_ logic and reason and things like 'feelings' were beyond lacking in such important aspects.

Nonetheless it was direly important that he search though, he _could_ feel how strange everything felt and how close to _limbo_ they were bordering. They needed to escape even if it meant using strange and unconventional methods.

With renewed intent, he eyed his surroundings for _anything_ that struck him as 'real'. _He_ couldn't fade, he _needed_ to grip reality.

"_There is a risk of **loss**. Be careful."_

The idea of _Koizumi_ sounding concerned was enough to make him move. She was impervious to most things and flippant about others, life-threatening or not, her concern meant more than any warning.

* * *

There is a certain limit to poker face; it is a moment between life and death where there is no other option but to scream and run.

However, while scared shitless, Haibara Ai was _far_ from reaching that point. True, there was a _terrifying_ girl with a knife that seemed to have the same capabilities of the monster that attacked her friends earlier _but_ she also didn't believe that screaming helped a situation much.

Makoto, a man of quite a similar belief, attempted to calm his breathing.

The thing that would like one to believe it was Momoi Keiko? It grinned and attacked the two terrified little children that it had caught.

With the speed that only years of training could have given him, Makoto barely avoided being skewered and sent a roundhouse kick at the girls head, bashing her face to the concrete.

The air around the creature seemed to smile and Makoto jumped back.

"What do we do now?" Makoto hoped desperately that the creepy little girl knew something.

Ai tched, "We should probably run. We need to get to Ayumi and the rest before they get caught. Unless they've somehow found a place to hide, they are either dead or have been running for hours."

"…and they won't have much energy left."

Ai nodded and eyed the scenery uneasily, Makoto hadn't quite noticed yet, given that he dare not let his eyes off the stumbling possessed girl, but the area had changed quite a bit… and that scared her more than the girl.

There was the smell of swamp.

Makoto squared his shoulders, "If we run she could attack us from behind, I'm not confident I can out run her. I need to immobilize her."

_It_ laughed a barking, _insidious_, terrifying laugh that felt too horrid to be real.

Ai let out an involuntary shiver.

"_**The**__** witch**__** will**__** die**__** along**__** with **__**all**__** that**__** follow **__**her**_."

Makoto cracked his knuckles and hoped desperately that he wasn't in over his head.

"_Now bleed for the tragedy."_

* * *

_((Ending Notes: Okay, so this update didn't cover everything I wanted to but I really wanted to give you guys **something** after so long._

_I have an idea that will make me update more often but I'm not sure if you guys will like it, as you've most likely noticed I write varying scenes for each chapter. If I write shorter chapters that are just one scene but updated at very least once a week, would you guys like that?_

_Basically comes down to do you guys want shorter chapters that update once a week or the usual length but no guarantee when I'll update?_

_Thanks again to everyone who still likes this fic! I am so sorry I haven't been updating! ;A;_

_-Muse hoping she doesn't get attacked with pitchforks.))_


	13. Task: Listen

_((A/N: …and here is the first of hopefully many unfortunately short, once a week updates! I really hope you guys like it anyways!_

_-Muse-chan out!))_

* * *

**KID:**

**Steal The Dead**

_Listen_

After watching the second mail box suffer the wrath of his invisible, shapeless, opponent, KID determined that if nothing else, this thing had quite an appetite.

"_My sweet little snack, you shouldn't try to escape so much! It'll be much less painful to stay still."_

KID rolled his eyes from behind a dumpster, the _last__ thing_ he wanted was to give this sit still and await his fate as an entrée.

Seriously, how was he supposed to defeat this thing? It had no presence other than the second it ate a part of reality and even then, its presence was only available to what was _literally_ inside of it.

How does it even _do_ that?

_You're listening to it._

KID paused his newest escape, a new thought striking him.

'_Never __talk __to __demons __indeed__…_' he could have kicked himself.

He moved one second too late and the _air_ scraped him as he evaded being eaten once again. If it had a presence, Kaito would _swear_ the thing was smiling at him.

"_You__'__re _bleeding_! __How__ incredibly __sad__…"_ it paused, thoughtfully, _"…__and __I__'__ll __have to __admit, __a__ bit__ scrumptious. __Nothing__ quite __like__—"_

_Stop listening._

Aoko. Think of Aoko and Nakamouri-keibu. Think of the dinner at their house last month.

Nakamouri-keibu had laughed at Kaito's magic trick. Aoko had scolded him for doing it at the table. Nakamouri-keibu had bragged about his latest 'victory' of Kaitou KID. Kaito had rolled his eyes and grumbled, pride getting in the way of some of his common sense.

Aoko's half smile.

Nakamouri-keibu's hearty laughter.

That horrid surprise when he realized there was fish in the soup.

It was silent.

KID opened his eyes, clutching the bleeding gash on his side.

There was a sound about a block away of something being crushed.

KID grinned, and silently wished he'd figured it out sooner.

_Talking_ to demons wasn't the only way they got a grip onto a person, _listening_ to a demon had a similar effect.

With a grunt, he attempted to ascertain his location and, more importantly, the location of his next target.

His own injuries were nothing with that thought propelling him. He _needed_ to create the miracle that would return Aoko to him. Return Aoko to her father. He'd do anything for this goal.

Still, he grimaced at the thought of locating _Pain_ again.

He liked to think _Pain_ would get a little easier. After his first two experiences he held a mild hope that he could get used to the blood surging painfully through his veins and the bones twisting unnaturally.

He knew it would mean nothing. _Pain_ was ever changing.

What was felt once twisted and melted into an unrecognizable pain that made it impossible to adjust.

It was difficult to imagine why his body felt attracted to it, _pulled_ towards it.

Looking at a nearby sign, he could've laughed.

He figured he'd at some point end up in Kyoto; it was old and meaningful and seemed _suiting_ for a supernatural phenomenon.

He'd also been expecting a temple of some kind, the edge of a random and fairly normal looking forest would have struck him as anti-climatic.

_Except_ when the crushing terror of _Pain_ was pushing his feet forward, it was hard to think of anything as 'anti-climatic' when it _literally_ felt as if his blood was slowly moving to a boil.

Ideally, he didn't have a run in with the good ol' grim reaper again anytime soon…

'_After __this, __only __one __more._'

* * *

_((Ending: Ugh… I feel bad posting something so short ;A; aw well, at least the updates coming soon!_

_Curiosity strikes, I have an idea what scene I'd like to do next but I want to know what you guys want; what do want to see next the absolute most? Makoto and Haibara vs poor possessed Keiko? Limbo bound detectives? Nakamouri-keibu? The witch that seems to have the answers?_

_-Muse loving taking care of her adorable nephew.))_


End file.
